DragonSpeed’s 2015 Blancpain Endurance Series effort will benefit from the return to the cockpit of team principal Elton Julian alongside Swedish racer Henrik Hedman. Now, the Florida-based team’s top priority will be to fill the third seat in its Ferrari 458 GT3 Blancpain Endurance Series entry for next year.
Following two years as a frontrunner in the Ferrari Challenge North America, culminating in a victory at the World Finals last November, Hedman has impressed many in his maiden Pirelli World Challenge season. Julian enjoyed considerable success in a driving career which started in single-seaters. The Ecuadorean, who turned 40 in August, still holds the record for the youngest-ever winner of a British F3 race, earned an F1 test contract at age 20 and was the highest-finishing rookie at Le Mans in 2005.
Elton Julian (team principal) : “The Blancpain Endurance Series may be just five weekends, but it’s 36 hours of racing. And all the tracks are current or past Grand Prix venues. The highlight is obviously the Total 24 Hours of Spa, which is clearly the world’s top GT race now. The driver rating system is continuing to evolve and I’m not sure how I’ll be classified, but I’ll either be a cheap Gold or an expensive Silver! We do know Henrik will have Bronze status, so based on where I end up, we can take on a Silver or Bronze driver. We want someone with speed and experience, of course, but who will also fit in with the team and share in the spirit of the adventure the Blancpain Endurance Series program represents for us. And if we can find another driver with Henrik’s finesse in the wet, we’ll be in good shape for Spa!”