Former Caterham driver Giedo van der Garde will make his Le Mans 24 Hours debut this year for the JOTA Sport LMP2 team.
Van der Garde drove for Caterham in 2013 before becoming reserve driver at Sauber for the following season. At the last season's opener in Australia he became embroiled in a legal wrangle with Sauber over a contract he claimed gave him the right to a racing seat. A settlement was eventually reached between the two parties.
Following that legal dispute Van der Garde did not find another drive for the rest of the season. The Dutchman has confirmed he will fulfil a lifelong ambition this year.
"In F1 I was competing at the highest level of motorsport, but with Caterham there wasn't a real possibility to win races," said van der Garde. "Now with JOTA there is, and again on a high level of racing. That's what I'm aiming for: winning. To win the 24 hours of Le Mans isn't even a dream; it's my goal.
"Therefore I am very pleased to sign with such an established and proven team as JOTA Sport. This is a new chapter for me going in to endurance racing and I am sure it will be an enjoyable one.I have always enjoyed the teamwork side of racing, particularly from an engineering perspective, so I think this will be an asset to start with."
JOTA Sport-prepared Gibson 015S-Nissan in the European Le Mans Series alongside Simon Dolan and Harry Tincknell.