Le Mans: Gonzalez gets Murphy LMP2 drive

Former Marussia Formula 1 Friday tester Rodolfo Gonzalez will take his first steps in sports car racing this year with the Murphy Prototypes LMP2 squad.

The Venezuelan, who took part in nine Friday free practice sessions with Marussia last year, will drive the Anglo-Irish Murphy team's ORECA-Nissan 03 (ABOVE) at the Le Mans 24 Hours and in the five-round European Le Mans Series. Gonzalez will drive alongside multiple World Endurance Championship LMP2 class winner Tor Graves, who raced for the Delta-ADR P2 team in 2012-13.

"I raced against Rodolfo in Formula Ford and have been after him for a while," said team boss Greg Murphy. "I think he will do a good job, and with Tor, I think we have the makings of a lineup that could be up there."

Murphy is looking for a gold or platinum-rated to driver to race alongside Gonzalez and Graves, who are both listed as silver. The team will try out both GP2 race winner Nathaniel Berthon and former Indy Lights front-runner Dillon Battistini at the official ELMS test, which starts at Paul Ricard on Tuesday.

Karun Chandhok, who raced for Murphy at Le Mans last year, will also take part in the test with the team and is in the frame for a drive at the 24 Hours.

Greaves Motorsport is also testing some newcomers at Ricard in its pair of Zytek-Nissan Z11SNs. IMSA Lights racer Matt McMurry, son of U.S. sports car stalwart Chris, will take part in the test after being signed up as part of the driver development program launched by Dyson Racing, whose boss Chris Dyson is driving for Greaves in the ELMS this season. The 16-year-old McMurry is bidding to become eclipse Ricardo Rodriguez's record as the youngest driver to take part in the 24 Hours at Le Mans.

Radical drivers Tony Wells and James Littlejohn will also drive for Greaves at Ricard.