Van der Zande joins Tower Motorsports for IMSA LMP2

Tower Motorsports has announced its 2027 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship LMP2 program, headlined by the addition of Renger van der Zande as a full-time driver in the No. 8 ORECA 07-Gibson.

Van der Zande will run the full LMP2 season alongside owner/driver John Farano. The Dutch driver is coming off a two-year stint at Acura Meyer Shank Racing where he drove the No. 93 Acura ARX-06 alongside Nick Yelloly, who signed with Ford Racing for the 2027 FIA World Endurance Championship. Prior to that, van der Zande spent seven seasons driving for Cadillac with Wayne Taylor Racing and Chip Ganassi Racing.

In 133 races, van der Zande has 23 wins, and has won at least one race in each of the last 13 seasons – since the formation of the current IMSA in 2014. He has driven alongside Farano in one-off rides at the IMSA Chevrolet Grand Prix at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park, and at this past year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Farano, the 2022 IMSA LMP2 champion, begins his seventh season in LMP2 alongside van der Zande and another new face in the No. 8 ORECA LMP2. He finished sixth in the LMP2 standings this year with a podium finish at Sebring.

That new face is Australian rising star Griffin Peebles, who will make his IMSA debut as the Silver-graded Michelin Endurance Cup driver. Peebles is coming off a stellar first season in the European Le Mans Series, where the 18-year-old won the LMP2 championship for United Autosports, along with the ELMS Top Performer and Goodyear Golden Wingfoot awards for individual excellence.

Completing the team’s four-driver line-up at the Rolex 24 At Daytona is Frenchman Tristan Vautier, who was Tower Motorsports’ full-time pro driver last season, contributing to the third-place finish at Sebring and three top-five finishes to close out the season.

“I’m really excited about our driver line-up for next season,” said Rick Capone, team manager of Tower Motorsports. “With John Farano, Griffin Peebles, Renger van der Zande and Tristan Vautier, we have a great combination of talent and experience. We already have a very strong team at Tower Motorsports, and I believe these are the final pieces of the puzzle to put us in a position to fight for wins.”

With van der Zande joining Tower Motorsports and Colin Braun set to drive for returning GTD challenger Kellymoss, all four of Acura Meyer Shank Racing’s full-time GTP drivers from last season have now found a home for next season following the manufacturer’s exit from IMSA. Yelloly and Tom Blomqvist, meanwhile, joined Ford Racing’s WEC Hypercar program in advance of its 2027 debut.