Mardenborough secures Le Mans return

GP3 racer Jann Mardenborough will return to the Le Mans 24 Hours to drive an OAK Racing Ligier LMP2 coupe next month. The 2011 Nissan GT Academy winner, who has been placed in GP3 with Carlin this year by the Japanese manufacturer, will race OAK's Le Mans-only entry for a Ligier-Nissan JSP2.

The 22-year-old will share the No. 35 car with fellow Briton Alex Brundle and 2012 Russian GT Academy winner Mark Shultzhitskiy in the World Endurance Championship centrepiece on June 14-15.

Mardenborough, who starred on his Le Mans debut last year in a Greaves Zytek, said: "Le Mans will always be special to me: I was taken there as a GT Academy finalist in 2011 when Lucas [Ordonez, the inaugural academy winner] made his debut and then I returned as a racing driver in 2013."

"We finished fourth on the road last year but were promoted to the podium after the event [when the third-placed car was disqualified], so it would be good to leave with a trophy in my hands this time."

The deal for Mardenborough to race for OAK and the confirmation of Shultzhitskiy, who tested with the team last month, means there will be a total of four GT Academy winners competing at Le Mans this year. They join Ordonez and 2012 winner Wolfgang Reip, who will race Nissan's ZEOD RC gasoline-electric experimental racer.