Matra, the legendary French carmaker that clinched a hat-trick of outright victories in the 24 Hours of Le Mans in the early seventies, is about to return to racing, 50 years after its last appearance. IDEC Sport has announced a partnership deal with the firm for the 2024 season. They will enter the European Le Mans Series with an Oreca 07. Paul Lafargue, Reshad de Gerus and Job van Uitert will drive the LMP2 prototype that will sport a new livery in the 4 Hours of Barcelona (14 April 2024), the first of the six rounds in the ELMS season.

IDEC Sport and Matra have also applied to enter the 92nd 24 Hours of Le Mans in June to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Matra’s third and final triumph in the French endurance classic.

Patrice Lafargue, President, IDEC Group and IDEC Sport: We are extremely lucky to have this team. We’ve experienced some intense moments in the past but, in terms of emotion, this is a different level. Playing a part in the comeback of a great marque like Matra is simply incredible. If you’d have told us that back in 2015 when we started out in motorsport, no-one would have believed it. We’re embarking on another great season that will go down in history. I think many enthusiasts were waiting for this moment, and as a fan of historic motorsport, I know I was! I hope we’ll have the opportunity to go to Le Mans together. It would be a lovely story. What I can say, though, is that this partnership is destined to go further than just a new livery for our LMP2.

Grégory Trébaol, President, Rebirth Group and Matra: We are hugely proud to announce today the return of Matra. While Matra has continued to exist, we at Rebirth wanted to perpetuate the heritage so that the name lived on. As we didn’t want to do things half-heartedly, we felt it appropriate to collaborate with a great French team like IDEC Sport to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Matra’s last Le Mans win. Motorsport has always been Matra’s lifeblood. We have a lot in common with IDEC Sport and it’s a pleasure to team up with them in this fine discipline – endurance. I’m sure the partnership will be a great success. We can learn a lot from Patrice and his people and hope to give something back in return.

To celebrate the announcement of the partnership, made at Rétromobile historic motor show in Paris, Matra is currently exhibiting the #7 Matra-Simca MS670C that Henri Pescarolo and Gérard Larrousse drove to 24 Hours of Le Mans glory 50 years ago. This car was the successor to the MS670 and MS670B that also won the 24 Hours, in 1972 and 1973 respectively. It is powered by the iconic MS72 V12 engine that delivers 450 hp at 10,500 rpm. Rétromobile visitors can see the car in booth 1J036 until 4 February.