8Star Motorsports has named long-time open-wheel racing engineer Yves Touron as race engineer for its Rolex Grand-Am Series Daytona Prototype program.
Touron assumes his new role at 8Star Motorsports immediately and in time for the June 1 Chevrolet GRAND-AM 200 presented by the Metro Detroit Chevy Dealers at Belle Isle Park in Detroit. Stephane Sarrazin and Pedro Lamy will handle the driving chores of the No. 3 Chevrolet Corvette Daytona Prototype for the Pompano Beach, Fla., based team.
The Frenchman comes to 8Star with extensive credentials as a race engineer in open-wheel competition, with Panther/Dreyer & Reinbold Racing (2009-2013) and PKV Racing (2003-2009). Touron was an assistant race engineer with Team Cadillac/Protostar in 2002 and race engineer of a McLaren F1 GTR for Giroix Racing (France) in the 1995-96 BPR Endurance GT World Series and the 24 Hours of LeMans. He earned a Master Degree in Automobile Design and Aeronautical Engineering in 1995 from Ecole Supérieure des Techniques Aéronautiques et de Construction Automobile (ESTACA), a French engineering university that specializes in aeronautics and automobile Design.
“I’m very pleased to begin working with 8Star Motorsports,” said Touron. “The team is new but Enzo (team owner Enzo Potolicchio) and everyone else are working hard and getting better every day. We had a good test last week at Sebring and I’m looking forward to working with Stephane (Sarrazin) and Pedro (Lamy). The Belle Isle track is a difficult one but it’s important, as a Chevy team, to do well in their race.”
Touron was part of 8Star’s Daytona Prototype test May 21 at Sebring International Raceway’s short course with drivers Michael Valiante, Rafael Matos and Potolicchio.
“Bringing Yves on board is a big positive for 8Star Motorsports,” said Potolicchio. “The whole team has been working really well together, from the mechanics to the management, but we were lacking a little bit on the engineering side. Yves is the right guy. Nobody’s going to bring a magic wand but I feel he is headed in the right direction to give Stephane and Pedro a car to win races. I just want to finish the season strong and put 8Star in a position as one of the best options for sponsors and drivers to join us.”
Source : 8Star Motorsports