Contrary to earlier announcements a few weeks ago, Tiago Monteiro will be racing in this year's 24 Hours of Le Mans. The international festival of endurance takes place on the legendary Sarthe (France) circuit, June 11 & 12. Tiago Monteiro will be joining the crew with OAK Racing, standing in for Matthieu Lahaye, who is still recovering from a serious accident in qualifying at the Spa 1000 km race.

Since the Signatech projejt went down, the Portuguese driver had received several different invitations to take part in the ultimate endurance race, but until now none of them seemed appealing enough or corresponded to his profile. It was OAK Racing's quality that made Tiago decide to lift his reservations. Behind the wheel of the LMP1 No. 15 car, he will be partnered with two fast and experienced drivers, Guillaume Moreau and Pierre Ragues, and will be competing in the most prestigious category, LMP1. This will be his fourth time participating in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, and his second time in the LMP1 category. OAK Racing has set a goal of winning in its category: petro-fuelled cars. "As I already said several times, I like this race very much but I thought i would not participate in the 24 Hours of Le Mans at first. Just last week I received three different offers but for one reason or another none of them fit with my profile. OAK's project is strong. The team secured several good results recently and their ambitions are genuine. That's why I accepted their invitation and I will do my best to honour the confidence they placed in me," Tiago Monteiro declared, confirming the French team's objectives. "I am extremely motivated, even though I will have a short period of time to get a grip on the car. It certainly won't be easy but I will do my best to fill the shoes of Matthieu Lahaye who is a good driver and one with whom I get along very well."

The 24 Hours of Le Mans will be broadcast on Eurosport.