Corvette Racing star returns to the French squad for three rounds of the FIA WEC

After a great first half of the season in the FIA World Endurance Championship, featuring three podiums in the LMGTE Am class, Larbre Competition welcomes back Corvette Racing driver Ricky Taylor, who raced for the team at the 2013 and 2014 Le Mans 24 Hours.

The American will replace Paolo Ruberti on board the #50 Corvette C7.R and will team up with regular drivers Pierre Ragues and Yutaka Yamagishi for the next three rounds of the 2016 season taking place in Mexico, Texas, and then Fuji.

Taylor currently races in the highly competitive WeatherTech SportsCar Championship and represented Corvette in LMGTE Pro at La Sarthe. Having already scored two wins and four podiums in the US this season, Ricky will become the new team leader and will make Larbre benefit from his experience on circuits of the American continent.

There will also be support from Corvette with the arrival of a new engineer, Charlie Ping, at the French squad. He will provide previous simulation programmes in order to prepare for the next races in the best possible way, especially the 6 Hours of Mexico (1-3 September). A new venue on the FIA WEC calendar, this event will take place at altitude, making Ping’s advice and knowledge particularly useful.

With these first class additions to the team, Larbre Competition, who also scored a solid eighth place finish at Le Mans this year, approach the second half of the season with serenity and the ambition to consolidate its position on the FIA WEC podium. Jack Leconte’s team is currently third in the standings, one point behind second.

Ricky Taylor: "I am very excited to join Larbre for these three rounds of the WEC championship. The team has proven its great pace this season by clinching good results. I am looking forward to supporting the squad to more success and to do my part to contribute to some points for the championship for Pierre, Yutaka and the team.

I have enjoyed my other experiences with the outfit so it will be a nice experience to be back. Thanks to Jack and Larbre again for thinking of me and giving me the opportunity to fly their colours again."

Jack Leconte, Team Manager: “As the FIA WEC is heading for overseas rounds, Larbre Competition is delighted to welcome back Ricky Taylor.

If we made him discover the Le Mans 24 Hours in 2013 and 2014, roles will be reversed on the other side of the Atlantic thanks to his experience and knowledge of American racing.

I am convinced that Ricky will fit very quickly with this team mates, especially as he and Pierre got on extremely well when they raced together in La Sarthe two years ago. Yutaka will help us with his experience of the Fuji circuit during the Japanese round.

In addition to providing us with one of its official drivers, Corvette Racing will also supply the services of Charlie Ping, a highly experienced engineer whose input will help us a lot.

With three podiums out of four races, and a solid display at the Le Mans 24 Hours, we want to continue on the same trend to confirm our top three position in the championship.”