WEC: van der Zande joins DragonSpeed LMP1 program - MotorSportsTalk

Renger van der Zande, already slated to run a full season of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship with Wayne Taylor Racing, revealed on Sunday that he will also add a slate of FIA World Endurance Championship events between 2018 and 2019, joining DragonSpeed’s newly formed LMP1 program.

Van der Zande, who previously raced with DragonSpeed in the Prototype Challenge class of the American Le Mans Series in 2013, will partner Henrik Hedman and Ben Hanley, and will make his 24 Hours of Le Mans debut with the team in June.

Welcome Back to the Future! Our @FIAWEC LMP1 Driver roster is complete👍🏻Click on Video…Some recognize that helmet 😜@24heuresdumans @gibsontech1 @DallaraGroup @benhanley85 @Rengervdz @henhed10 #10STAR @Michelin_Sport #oneteamonedream (super sub driver announced shortly 😎) pic.twitter.com/vQXGoHUbsB

— DragonSpeed (@DragonSpeedLLC) February 4, 2018

Stoked to announce I will be driving in the @FIAWEC in 2018 with @DragonSpeedLLC! Making my debut in the @24hoursoflemans is a little boys dream come true and say what: in a LMP1 car!! 😍 A big thank you for all involved! pic.twitter.com/YBWZtNbgEQ

— Renger van der Zande (@Rengervdz) February 4, 2018

However, it should be noted that there is one conflicting weekend in 2018, as IMSA visits the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course the same weekend that the WEC opens its season at Spa (May 6). With van der Zande’s IMSA program with Wayne Taylor Racing taking priority, DragonSpeed will be in need of a replacement, which will be revealed at a late date.

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An IndyCar executive said there is “absolutely” disappointment that its long-awaited video game recently was delayed beyond its target date, but the series remains optimistic about the new title.

“Well, I don’t know how quick it will be, but the whole situation is important to us,” Penske Entertainment president and CEO Mark Miles said during a news conference Monday morning to announce IndyCar’s NTT title sponsorship. “Motorsport Games has spent a lot of money, a lot of effort to create an IndyCar title. What we’ve seen of that effort, which is not completely obvious, is very reassuring.

“I think it’s going to be outstanding. That’s our shared objective, that when it is released, it’s just widely accepted. A great credit both to IndyCar racing, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, something that our fans love.”

In June 2021, IndyCar announced a new partnership with Motorsport Games to create and distribute an IndyCar video game for the PC and Xbox and PlayStation consoles in 2023.

But during an earnings call last week, Motorsport Games said the IndyCar game had been delayed to 2024 to ensure high quality.

Somewhat compounding the delay is that IndyCar’s license for iRacing expired after the end of the 2022 season because of its exclusive agreement with Motorsport Games.

That’s resulted in significant changes for IndyCar on iRacing, which had provided a high-profile way for the series to stay visible during its 2020 shutdown from the pandemic. (Players still can race an unbranded car but don’t race on current IndyCar tracks, nor can they stream).

That’s helped ratchet up the attention on having a video game outlet for IndyCar.

“I wish we had an IndyCar title 10 years ago,” said Miles, who has been working with the organization since 2013. “We’ve been close, but we’ve had these I think speed bumps.”

IndyCar is hopeful the Motorsports Game edition will be ready at the start of 2024. Miles hinted that beta versions could be unveiled to reporters ahead of the time “to begin to show the progress in a narrow way to make sure we’ve got it right, to test the progress so that we’re ready when they’re ready.”

It’s been nearly 18 years since the release of the most recent IndyCar video game for console or PC.

“(We) better get it right,” Miles said. “It’s something we’re very close to and continue to think about what it is to make sure we get it over the line in due course.”