Van der Garde lands WEC LMP2 drive
Former F1 driver Giedo van der Garde will race in the 2018/19 FIA World Endurance Championship, including the Le Mans 24 Hours, for Racing Team Nederland.









Van der Garde will drive a Dallara P217 in the LMP2 class of the WEC alongside two yet-to-be announced drivers.
The announcement marks a return to prototype racing for the Dutch driver, who won the 2016 European Le Mans Series title on his debut for G-Drive Racing.
The 32-year-old will also make his second and third appearances at Le Mans in the ‘superseason’, his first outing in ‘16 ending early after being hit by a GTE car.
"I am very happy that Racing Team Netherlands and Frits give me this great opportunity. The ambitions of the team appeal to me enormously and I want to be part of it,” Van der Garde, who took part in two Audi TT Cup races last year, said.
"The World Championship is super competitive and the 24 Hours of Le Mans is one of the most beautiful races in the world. I find it very special to be at the start again.
"The goal is that we, as a team, can make each other better and better, so that you can finally drive around the stage. I'm really looking forward to it!
"In my debut year in the long-distance race I became champion, but in the 24 hours of Le Mans we fell out in the morning.”
Founder Frits van Eerd, whose team steps up to WEC after a season in ELMS and a maiden outing in Le Mans, added: "I am very pleased that Giedo will drive for us. He is fast, experienced and very motivated.
"Our debut in the World Championship is a fantastic challenge, and I think it's great that we are now entering into a rider of this caliber."
Racing Team Nederland said in a statement that it will reveal its car, along with the identities of the other two drivers, in a presentation “soon.”

Manor: LMP1 complexity led to Ferrari’s Greenwood move
Toyota's updated LMP1 car completes first test

Latest news
Number change on Foyt’s entry for IndyCar rookie Pedersen
AJ Foyt Racing has revealed that, contrary to last week’s announcement, Benjamin Pedersen will not run number #88 on his car.
Wehrlein hails "perfect" Porsche strategy, efficiency for Diriyah FE win
Pascal Wehrlein reckoned that Porsche's Diriyah E-Prix strategy and efficiency worked "perfectly" en route to claiming his second career victory in Formula E.
Supercars overhauls Gen3 testing plans
Supercars has scrapped its shakedown distance limit as part of an overhaul of its pre-season testing plans.
Diriyah E-Prix: Wehrlein holds off Dennis to charge to victory
Pascal Wehrlein made up eight places in the Diriyah E-Prix to take victory, holding off a late assault from Jake Dennis to take his second Formula E win.
Why the WEC should make space for modern garagistes in 2023
OPINION: There is plenty of excitement over the glut of manufacturers tackling the Hypercar class of the FIA World Endurance Championship this season. The selection committee is set to face headaches over who it decides to admit and who gets turned away from the 2023 entry list, but history tells us that the smaller entrants have a place
Motorsport.com writers' most memorable moments of 2022
The season just gone was a memorable one for many of our staff writers, who are fortunate enough to cover motorsport around the world. Here are our picks of the best (and in some cases, most eventful) from 2022.
Is Qatar the price motorsport fans have to pay?
OPINION: Fresh from hosting a controversial 2022 football World Cup, Qatar has added its name to the 2024 World Endurance Championship calendar. Although questions may be asked about its presence on the calendar, is it simply the price to pay for having a healthy racing championship?
How Toyota defeated Alpine for the 2022 WEC title
Toyota #8 trio Brendon Hartley, Sebastien Buemi and Ryo Hirakawa outscored their rivals in the last season before the World Endurance Championship’s top class gets ultra-competitive. Here's how their Hypercar battle with Alpine and the remaining class tussles played out in LMP2, GTE Pro and GTE Am
The long road to convergence for sportscar racing's new golden age
The organisers of the World Endurance Championship and IMSA SportsCar Championship worked together to devise the popular new LMDh rule set. But to turn it from an idea into reality, some serious compromises were involved - both from the prospective LMDh entrants and those with existing Le Mans Hypercar projects...
How Porsche's Le Mans legend changed the game
The 956 set the bar at the dawn of Group C 40 years ago, and that mark only rose higher through the 1980s, both in the world championship and in the US. It and its successor, the longer-wheelbase 962, are arguably the greatest sportscars of all time.
Why BMW shouldn't be overlooked on its return to prototypes
OPINION: While the focus has been on the exciting prospect of Ferrari vs Porsche at the Le Mans 24 Hours next year, BMW’s factory return to endurance racing should not be ignored. It won't be at the French classic next year as it focuses efforts on the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, but could be a dark horse in 2024 when it returns to La Sarthe with the crack WRT squad.
The history lessons Peugeot should have learned on its return
The Peugeot 9X8 will make its FIA World Endurance Championship debut at Monza this weekend. The French manufacturer has gone radical and will be hoping it doesn’t need to overhaul its contender, as it did with its first Le Mans challenger…
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.