Following the footsteps of mentor Karun Chandhok, Indian driver Arjun Maini will make a shift from open-wheel racing to endurance sports car racing as he joins RLR MSport for the 87th edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans on June 15-16 and a full season in the European Le Mans Series (ELMS).

Maini will share the RLR MSport-prepared ORECA with ex-Formula 1 driver Bruno Senna and Canadian John Farano in ELMS. Senna, however, will be unavailable for 24 Hours of Le Mans due to other commitments and will relinquish his seat with his replacement to be announced later this month.

RLR MSport earned an automatic Le Mans entry by winning the 2018 ELMS LMP3 teams’ and drivers’ titles and the Lancashire-based squad has since procured an ORECA 07 LMP2 for its long-awaited return to the French endurance classic.

“I’m extremely excited to make my endurance racing debut this year. The highlight of the year will surely be the race at Le Mans and I’m hoping I can do my country proud as it is one of the most prestigious events in motor racing,” said Maini.

Following a decent stint in junior karting, Maini stepped into single-seaters and finished second overall in Formula BMW Championship in India before moving to BRDC Formula 4 Championship. Wins in Britain earned Maini a seat in GP3 Series before moving on to Formula 2 in 2018.

First Published: Feb 06, 2019 22:03 IST