Tower Motorsport has confirmed that it will return to the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship for the entire season with its No. 8 ORECA in the LMP2 class, starting with this month’s Rolex 24 at Daytona. Team boss John Farano and the 2021 European Le Mans Series champion Louis Deletraz will run the entire season and will be supported by 2021 ELMS champion Rui Andrade for the four endurance races. Ferdinand Habsburg, winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans 2021, is the team’s fourth driver for the Rolex 24 At Daytona.
Tower Motorsports took the LMP2 victory at Petit Le Mans last year, defending the team’s victory at the same event in 2020. The team finished third in the class standings.
The 2022 season marks the third year of Tower Motorsport in IMSA. Mainly sponsored by Tower Events and Tower Scaffold Services, the No. 8 ORECA will once again wear its signature orange and white colors, with a black base replacing the previous year’s purple paintwork.
“I am very happy to be driving alongside Louis for the entire IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship 2022 and I am delighted that Rui is supporting us for the entire Michelin Endurance Cup Championship and Ferdinand is anchoring the team for the 24th,” said Farano. “I already had the pleasure of testing at Daytona with these great drivers who immediately demonstrated their speed and talent. I’m really looking forward to another great season with Rick Capone (Capone Motorsports) at the helm of our technical crew and our fantastic engineering group led by Matthieu Leroy. “
The 24-year-old Deletraz, who mainly drove in formula racing, made a name for himself when he was promoted to Formula 2 and spent two years as a substitute driver in Formula 1 for the Haas F1 Team. In 2015 he became Formula Renault 2.0 Northern European Cup champion, and in 2021 he again won top awards with the WRT team in the ELMS.
“I’m very excited to be competing in the full IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship 2022 at Tower Motorsport,” said Deletraz. Together with John, Rui and Ferdinand, I think we have a super competitive line-up. The preparation for 2022 has already started with some tests in Daytona, we all have the same goals and the same motivation for a successful 2022 season. Preparations for the off-season have already started, ready for Rolex 24 At Daytona at the end of January, where we want to start strong! “
Andrade, the 2021 ELMS LMP2 Pro-Am Champion, began his karting career at the age of 12 and made his debut in the single-seater Asian Le Mans Series championship in 2018.
“I’m very excited about the opportunity to be part of the Rolex 24 At Daytona with John, Louis and Ferdinand,” said Andrade. “It’s one of the most prestigious auto races in the world, and having spent most of my childhood in America, I feel very privileged to be able to come back to do what I love most. I know Tower is an incredible team and I’ve already had the chance to test with them and get to know everyone, it just got me even more excited about what’s to come. “
The 24-year-old from Habsburg celebrated great successes in sports car racing and in 2021 won the title of the FIA World Endurance Championship LMP2, the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the title of the Asian Le Mans Series.
“Racing in America is different,” said Habsburg. “I’ve driven all over the world, but on race day nothing beats the atmosphere in Daytona. It just pulls you in and makes you want to come back again and again. I’m really looking forward to sharing a car with my colleague Bullet Rui, REMUS Ambassador Louis and Tower Motorsport star John Farano. My goal is very clear: I missed the (Rolex) watch at Le Mans, so I’ll give everything to get one at Daytona. “
