Technoparc-Le Mans, 18/08/2018 DS Automobiles Team Mathershaw have today announced plans to relocate to a new facility in the Antarès-Technoparc industrial zone of Le Mans – famous for its location within the confines of the Circuit des 24 Heures – at the end of the 2018 season. With building work already underway, the move is happening with the full support of the conseil départemental de la Sarthe, with their logo appearing on the 2019 DS Mathershaw car, while the Automobile Club de l’Ouest (ACO), owners of the Circuit de la Sarthe, will enter into a partnership with the team to allow them use of the Bugatti circuit for testing and demonstrations. The deal sees the team leave their Paul Ricard factory after three years, with the site rumoured to house other projects within the PSA Group.
Technical director Robert Mathershaw, speaking to media in the FV paddock in Slovakia before qualifying, gave his views about the move: “We are delighted to finally announce our move to Le Mans – with the support of La Sarthe, the Pays de la Loire and the ACO, this is another exciting chapter in the story of the partnership between DS Performance and Mathershaw Technology. With development of the DS Automobiles FV10-19 engine already underway at the DS Performance factory in Versailles, this is the ideal time to make our move to a location more central in the country closer to our suppliers and partners, while the opportunity to add to the rich motorsport history of this region is an honour – on a personal level I have a great affinity with Le Mans, so moving here is exciting for me too!” Team principal Arthur Lapierre, who remained in France for the announcement but will fly out for tomorrow’s race, also felt the move was very positive: “We are hopeful that in addition to our move, the partnership with the ACO will quickly bear fruit – the Bugatti circuit will be the ideal proving ground for our machinery, while the commercial and sporting opportunities this move opens up are enormous – for instance the proximity to the FFSA Pole Espoirs (the national driver academy) with whom we already have a partnership means we can continue to tap into the best French and international talent. Overall, I think the move to Le Mans is very much a move “home” for the team – Lapierre Formule is based 1km down the road from our new site – so I cannot wait to get settled in!” As part of the announcement, an RJM-006 was driven around the Circuit des 24 Heures in a special demonstration run – due to FV, FV2 and the VWRS all being in action this weekend, it was left to veteran Frenchman Philippe Mathieu – who most famously took the 1996 Citroen AX-F96 to success at the Prix Virtuel de France at Le Mans – to perform driving duties. Comments are closed.
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