Team

OAK Racing, Team Mazda France

Created in 1982, Saulnier Racing is a team which rose to prominence in single-seaters before establishing itself as a leading Endurance Racing team in the LMP1 and LMP2 categories.

At the beginning of 2009, Saulnier Racing became Oak Racing. The oak tree is a symbol of solidity, force and longevity, all qualities which are demanded by Endurance Racing. In parallel, the notion of the tree leads to nature which in turn heralds the acknowledgement that an environmental conscience must now accompany motorsport in the 21st century.

Oak Racing, a professional structure

Oak Racing is constituted of two entities undertaking complementary activities:

- Oak Racing, Team Heritage, located in Alès and dedicated to historic motorsport. Management: Thierry Argenson.

- Oak Racing, Team Mazda France, situated in Magny-Cours and specialising in sport prototype racing. The team employs 20 people who work on developing the cars and preparing them for competition. Management: François Sicard, Managing Director of Oak Racing.

A strategy based on LMP2 and establishing partnerships

The LMP2 category is the home of privateer teams. It’s less expensive and reserved for independent entries – the LMP1 class is designed for manufacturer teams – giving them a chance to express themselves.

Oak Racing has a medium-term plan centred on this category and, at the same time, is creating exclusive technical partnerships which should assure the stability and development of the team.

The strong results, in terms of performance and reliability, that Saulnier Racing achieved in 2008, with a third place in the LMP2 class at the Le Mans 24 Hours, have already helped to attract major technical partners such as MAZDA France and DUNLOP for 2009.

Two Pescarolo-Mazda LMP2s for the 2009 season

The decision to compete with two cars in the same category is in accordance with standardising costs and the sharing of information such as car set-up and driver feedback. The Pescarolo-Mazda LMP2 will be present in the Le Mans Series, at the Le Mans 24 Hours and in the Asian Le Mans Series in Japan and China.

http://www.oak-racing.com