After a third-place finish in the opening race of the 2014 European Le Mans Series at Silverstone (Great Britain), NewBlood by Morand Racing joins the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari (Italy) in Imola with victory in mind on Sunday May 18, before heading to La Sarthe and the 24 Hours of Le Mans (June 14-15).

The 2013 ELMS race at Imola was a milestone in the history of the team with the third position overall (and first podium finish!) for the #43 Morgan-Judd BMW with Dunlop tyres. This year NewBlood by Morand Racing hopes that the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari will once again be a place to be remembered with a first victory.

Christian Klien (Austria, b. 1983), Gary Hirsch (Switzerland, b. 1987) and Romain Brandela (France, b. 1973) completed a consistent race at Silverstone, starting sixth on the grid, gaining positions and finishing third only a few seconds behind the winning car. Obviously, the Swiss team comes to Imola with the greatest expectations. “Victory is definitely within reach, now we have to grab it!” confirms team owner Benoit Morand. “We analysed the Silverstone race and a great work was completed by my team to optimise these details. As far as the drivers are concerned, we will keep on providing them with all the support they need. More than ever, Christian is the team’s leader, supporting the talented Gary and also Romain, who was the great surprise at Silverstone.”

For NewBlood by Morand Racing, the 4 Hours of Imola will also be the dress rehearsal before the 24 Hours of Le Mans. After finishing fifth in the LMP2 class in 2013, the Swiss team was once again granted an invitation by the Automobile Club de l’Ouest. “At Imola, we will have great evolutions regarding the team’s technical equipment,” says Benoit Morand. “The engineers will have more information and more monitors available so we can optimise our strategy for Le Mans. As far as the car is concerned, we will have to keep on working on fuel consumption, even though Imola is a different circuit from Le Mans. We will also work on pit stops as well as drivers’ and tyres’ changes, which must be optimal at Le Mans.”