The brilliant Brazilian Mario Haberfeld will complete our three driver line up for the final round of this year’s Le Mans Series, the Mil Milhas at Interlagos in November.
Although we already have three drivers officially on our books, Mario has been drafted in to replace Neil Cunningham whose new role within the team’s management structure no longer allows him the time to drive in every round of the series.
Currently taking a break from competitive racing, Mario has spent most of 2007 working on Formula BMW projects in Brazil and North America.
The former McLaren and Jordan F1 test driver spent three years in Champ Cars before shifting to the American GrandAm sportscar series in 2006. Enjoying success wherever he has raced, both Mario and the team are confident that he will make the transition to the LMP2 Radical without fuss and be on the pace quickly.
A highly skilled and professional driver, Embassy is delighted to have secured his services for what is effectively his home round of the Le Mans Series and his presence will not only add strength to the existing team of Warren Hughes and Darren Manning, but also provide essential local knowledge that just might help the team to its first podium.
Mario said of the drive:
“I am very excited about working with Embassy. The team is young but totally professional, dedicated and determined. They are definitely going places and have been unlucky not to have finished higher in some of their races this year. I hope that I can use my talent and local knowledge to bring them the success they deserve and end the season with a win.”
Talking about the appointment, Team Principal Jonathan France said:
“Mario was at the top of my list as the third driver for Interlagos for obvious reasons. He knows the circuit, he is a brilliant driver and he is practically at home. We have already met and I am sure he will fit in with the Embassy team. I feel that our driver line-up for the Mil Milhas is now the strongest in LMP2 and it would be a great end to the season and a great launch platform for our 2008 plans if we could finish well here.”
