Sean Creech Motorsport has confirmed Nolan Siegel and Jonny Edgar to join full-season drivers Joao Barbosa and Lance Willsey at the 24 Hours of Daytona, fielding the only Ligier JS P217 in the LMP2 category.
The opening round of the 2024 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, the 24 Hours of Daytona, will host a grid of 60 cars across four categories.
Sean Creech Motorsport (SCM) will commence their step up from the pre-existing LMP3 category and into LMP2, continuing their partnership with Ligier.
Siegel, the 19-year-old American, has two years of experience in the sportscar racing discipline, having driven last year partly for Sean Creech Motorsport’s LMP3 effort and Crowdstrike Racing by APR (Algarve Pro Racing) in the Oreca 07 LMP2.
His highlight of 2023 came at the Petit Le Mans season finale, when he claimed his second IMSA LMP2 win with the help of his teammates, though it was his first kind at the grueling 10-hour Road Atlanta event.
Edgar, who is the same age as Siegel, has fielded a career in single-seater racing, with his only sportscar appearance for Garage 59 last year at the Donington British GT round, whereby he drove a McLaren 720S GT3 EVO.
Ahead of his LMP2 debut, and his first endurance race, Edgar said: “I was impressed with the team and the car at the test last month.
“If we keep going in the direction we were going at the test, we’ll be in good shape.
“It seemed to me that technique and feel were quite similar to other cars I’ve driven, but obviously the multi-class aspect as well as the night running are very different from what I’m used to.
“But I have very experienced teammates and will learn a great deal at the Roar, all the little bits that add up in a 24-hour race.
“I’ll continue my gym work between now and then but there’s the mental side of endurance racing as well, managing your time out of car, so I’ll focus on that as well.”
Siegel added: “It’s great to be back with SCM.
“It’s fun to work with people who are so passionate about what they do.
“It’s a different approach this year since we’re developing the car rather than focusing on fine-tuning and putting in a quick qualifying lap.
“Testing has been fun for the drivers and the engineers, taking big swings at it, trying radical ideas.
“This is one of the first endurance races where I’m not the ‘new kid’ and hopefully I can help Jonny get through his first Rolex 24.
“But I’ll still take the opportunity to learn as much as I can from Lance and Joao.
“There might not be anyone on the grid with more endurance racing experience and success than Joao does, and there’s always more that I can learn.”
Team principal Sean Creech spoke about his expectations for the race on 27-28 January, having finished second in LMP3 last year.
“Finishing second at Daytona is fine, but that’s not why we’re here. We’re here to win – and we have the crew and the drivers to do that.
“We’re not as far along with the car as we’d like to be, having lost those four test days (due to poor weather and re-paving of the chicane at Daytona), but we’ll focus on finalizing the setup and getting Jonny completely up to speed on the IMSA regulations at the Roar.
“It is a big challenge to take on a car that is basically all new, as we are in a class full of teams that have a great deal of experience with the Oreca (07).
“But we are focused on learning as much as we can, finding a good window with the car, and executing as a team for the entire event.
“If we can do that – and let this strong team of drivers do their thing in the car – I think we will be in good shape.
“The Ligier JS P217 has proven to be quite reliable so far (698 laps completed at the December Daytona test) and we look to continue that trend, in collaboration with Ligier.
“We appreciate the commitment they have made to the re-introduction of the chassis.”
With 13 LMP2 cars expected to fight for the class win, SCM present themselves as the underdog team fielding the only Ligier JS P217.
