It’s certainly been a whirlwind year for Switzerland’s Gary Hirsch. The 26-year old from Geneva won three times from five races with Paul-Loup Chatin alongside to wrap up the European Le Mans Series LMPC championship in his first season of endurance racing last season and recently announced that he will step up to LMP2 in 2014 with Morand Racing’s Morgan Judd, a proven package which finished on the podium three times last year. Hirsch will join experienced ex-Formula One pilot Christian Klien, who finished on the podium at Le Mans for Peugeot in 2008 and a third, as yet unannounced driver at Benoit Morand’s outfit for the full ELMS season.
“It’s definitely good news, for me to step into LMP2 was the logical path,” said Hirsch. “It’s always a fight every year to get the best opportunities and this year is about as good as I can get to be alongside Christian, who is a really experienced driver. I’m sure we can do a really good job for the team; Benoit Morand [team manager] is really passionate about what he does and everyone is making a contribution, so it’s a great feeling.
“We’re a small country, so racing for a Swiss team and being at the moment the only Swiss driver for the team is really important for my partners. I’ve been with French teams in the past which was a nice experience, now working with a Swiss team is definitely very satisfying for me."
The ELMS is undergoing something of a resurgence at present, with the move to four-hour races and stand-alone events for 2014 – having split the bill with the World Series by Renault in the past – meaning more teams are showing an interest in joining the series, a challenge Hirsch welcomes.
“Of course we prefer longer races which are more about endurance,” said the Swiss, who will competing for outright victories this season in the series top class. “We want to win, but it will be a very tough competition; it looks like many new teams are going to join the ranks of the ELMS and I’m sure some very talented drivers will be there too. It’s going to be hard, but it’s good to announce this early, so we can start working in the best possible conditions.”
An assault on the Le Mans 24 Hours, the jewel in the sportscar racing crown, remains a possibility for Morand and has Hirsch understandably excited.
“Hopefully yes, the target is to be at Le Mans and to do well. On a personal level it’s a dream; as young drivers we all want to do the big races and perhaps after Formula One this is one of the biggest events in motorsport, it’s really challenging and exciting so we hope to be there, we will have to wait and see.
“It’s a great chance, I’m really happy even if it’s not sorted yet, because we have to wait if we will take part or not, but I’m confident that we will sort it out. We’ll always push our limits and try to do our best. It will be a tough challenge but I’m very happy.”
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| Gary Hirsch will look to challenge for outright wins with Morand Racing (Credit: Gary Hirsch.) |
“We’re a small country, so racing for a Swiss team and being at the moment the only Swiss driver for the team is really important for my partners. I’ve been with French teams in the past which was a nice experience, now working with a Swiss team is definitely very satisfying for me."
The ELMS is undergoing something of a resurgence at present, with the move to four-hour races and stand-alone events for 2014 – having split the bill with the World Series by Renault in the past – meaning more teams are showing an interest in joining the series, a challenge Hirsch welcomes.
“Of course we prefer longer races which are more about endurance,” said the Swiss, who will competing for outright victories this season in the series top class. “We want to win, but it will be a very tough competition; it looks like many new teams are going to join the ranks of the ELMS and I’m sure some very talented drivers will be there too. It’s going to be hard, but it’s good to announce this early, so we can start working in the best possible conditions.”
An assault on the Le Mans 24 Hours, the jewel in the sportscar racing crown, remains a possibility for Morand and has Hirsch understandably excited.
“Hopefully yes, the target is to be at Le Mans and to do well. On a personal level it’s a dream; as young drivers we all want to do the big races and perhaps after Formula One this is one of the biggest events in motorsport, it’s really challenging and exciting so we hope to be there, we will have to wait and see.
“It’s a great chance, I’m really happy even if it’s not sorted yet, because we have to wait if we will take part or not, but I’m confident that we will sort it out. We’ll always push our limits and try to do our best. It will be a tough challenge but I’m very happy.”
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