Following the announcement in early February that Jackie Chan DC Racing was joining forces with Kent-based Jota Sport for a two-car assault on the 2017 FIA World Endurance Championship, the driver line-ups for the two entries has now been revealed.
In the #37 ORECA 07 LMP2 entry, and driving alongside team co-founder David Cheng will be Alex Brundle and Tristan Gommendy.
In the #38 entry Briton Oliver Jarvis and 18-year-old Frenchman Thomas Laurent will be joining David Cheng’s compatriot, Ho-Pin Tung.
Brundle, son of ex-Formula 1 driver and commentator Martin, enjoyed a stellar year in 2016, winning the European Le Mans Series LMP3 class in the United Autosports’ Ligier JS P3 alongside fellow drivers Christian England and Mike Guasch. The Norfolk-born driver also had six outings in the FIA World Endurance Championship with G-Drive Racing, also run by Jota Sport in 2016, and was part of the driver line-up that enjoyed a spectacular end to the season with three victories in six starts.
Frenchman Gommendy began his racing career in the late 1990s and first raced at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2003. He competed in the 2016 European Le Mans Series for Eurasia Motorsport in the ORECA 05.
Oliver Jarvis has enjoyed a career at the very highest level of endurance racing as part of the Audi Sport Team Joest squad since 2013, during which he enjoyed three podium finishes at the 24 Hours of Le Mans and was runner-up in the 2016 FIA World Endurance Championship. Since Audi announced the cessation of its LMP1 programme in late 2016, Jarvis joined Bentley Team M-Sport with whom he enjoyed a second place finish in the 2017 Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12 Hour.
Thomas Laurent is well-known to DC Racing, having won the inaugural Road To Le Mans race in the team’s Ligier JSP3 alongside Alexandre Cougnard. He also competed for the team in the 2016-17 Asian Le Mans Series, taking the victory at Buriram, Thailand alongside Gustavo Menezes and Ho-Pin Tung.
The line-ups across both entries, combined with Jota Sport’s considerable experience and success in endurance racing around the world, show the intent of David Cheng, Ho-Pin Tung and founding partner Jackie Chan to win the LMP2 class in 2017.
“Coming off a years’ worth of experience in the FIA WEC last season, we are really happy to be back this year with two full-season cars,” said Cheng. “I have to thank our co-founder Jackie Chan, Sparkle Roll group and all of our partners for putting their trust and full force behind us. Together, boosted with the experience of our new partnership, I’m confident that our Jackie Chan DC Racing / Jota Sport team will be challenging up front at Le Mans and all year for the title.”
The FIA World Endurance Championship season opens with the 6 Hours of Silverstone on April 16.