Manor TRS Racing to use new lineup for Mexico

CEFC Manor TRS Racing will bring a fresh line-up in the No. 24 ORECA for the 6 Hours of Mexico next month.

Sporting director Graeme Lowdon revealed to RACER that the team will enter the car with Ben Hanley, who drove in the WEC with TDS Racing at Spa and G-Drive Racing at the Nurburgring, and currently drives with American team DragonSpeed in the ELMS; ex-F1 driver Jean Eric Vergne, who skipped the last round to race in the Formula E weekend at New York; and Matt Rao.

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Rao rejoins the team after leaving Signatech Alpine after the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The Briton, who raced in the No. 36 Alpine A470 for a final time at the Nurburgring, said that joining Manor was his first choice after the decision to part ways with the French team.

"I know the guys at Manor well," Rao told RACER. "We kept a good relationship after the back end of last year when we parted ways, so when I moved on from Alpine I spoke to Graeme Lowdon as my first choice. With the improvements they've made over the winter and the performances they've made this year, I believe we can fight at the front."

This line-up means that the trio of Jonathan Hirschi, Tor Graves and Roberto Merhi will not race with the team. RACER understands that Graves will still be a part of the effort going forward.

The 2017 6 Hours of Mexico is set to run September 3 in Mexico City at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez.