24h Le Mans
A newcomer to endurance, the Manor team is gradually expanding its manpower. After the arrival of Will Stevens, John Booth and Graeme Lowdon's outfit announced the return of James Jakes, present in the IndyCar Series the last four years, at the wheel of the Oreca 05.
At the beginning of the week, Manor revealed the entry of a second Oreca 05 in 2016 in the World Endurance Championship (WEC), with the exception of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, and the addition of Will Stevens who raced with Manor in F1 last year - before John Booth and Graeme Lowdon left the top single-seaters discipline to create a new entity carrying the same name via which to enter endurance.
Manor continued its recruitment efforts with the return of James Jakes for its 2016 campaign. A rookie in endurance, Jakes represented Manor in European F3 in 2007 and in the GP3 Series in 2010, two discipline rungs on the ladder from single-seaters to F1. Then the Brit competed in the IndyCar Series, the American single-seaters championship from 2011 to 2013, then in 2015 with a podium finish at the NOLA circuit in Louisiana last year.
The Manor team appears to choose its drivers from the family pool since, in addition to Will Stevens and James Jakes, Tor Graves - selected to drive in the 24 Hours of Le Mans - raced in the British F3 championship in 1999 under John Booth.
Cécile Bonardel / ACO - Translation by Nikki Ehrhardt / ACO
