In this very special 90th anniversary year of the Le Mans 24 Hours Hugues de Chaunac, President of the Oreca Group will receive the Spirit of Le Mans Trophy, awarded since 2001 by the Automoble Club de lOuest to people who have best served the interests of the race.
Forty years ago, former driver Hugues de Chaunac founded ORECA (ORganisation, Exploitation Competition Automobile), a company specialised in motor sport. Since 1977 and its maiden outing with Renault, ORECAs history has been closely linked to the Le Mans 24 Hours. The company based in Signes in the Var has raced in the Sarthe 18 times, either with major manufacturers or as a team. ORECA won the race outright with Mazda in 1991, racked up three victories in GT with the Chrysler Vipers (1998, 1999 and 2000) as well as the lap record with the Peugeot 908 HDi FAP in 2010, plus six top-5 finishes in the overall classification in its last nine participations.
This year ORECA will be helping Toyota Racing, to which it has brought its operational support, to run the two Toyota TS030s in the race. De Chaunacs company is also entered as a constructor with eight chassis (seven Oreca 03s and the Alpine A450 in LM P2) and is looking after the engine tuning of nine cars.
Its Events and Store department is also organising various events during the race week.
On Saturday 8th June ORECA announced that the Rebellion Racing team had asked it to develop a brand-new LM P1, the Rebellion R-One, which will compete in the 2014 Le Mans 24 Hours and the FIA World Endurance Championship.
Hugues de Chaunac, the 26th winner of the prestigious Spirit of Le Mans award will receive his trophy from Pierre Fillon, President of the ACO.
Biography of Hugues de Chaunac
Hugues de Chaunac was born in Baden Baden in Germany on 30th April 1946. He began his career as a mathematics teacher in the Parisian region. This was the time when he made his racing debut in the R8 Gordini Cup. After three top-3 finishes he entered for the Formula Renault Championship with the Bardahl team in 1970-71. However, he decided to follow another path, became a team manager and founded the ORECA (ORganisation, Exploitation Competition Automobile) squad. ORECA started out in single-seater racing and clinched its first title in the F2 European Championship in 1975. After that the team achieved many successes in France and in Europe, and also took up several challenges like Off-Road rallies, supertouring and ice racing winning numerous international titles.
De Chaunac has moved on from being a team boss to becoming the president of a company that enjoys international renown.The ORECA Group with 200 staff consists of four departments: a racing team, a technology department that includes a research and development sector, constructor and engine tuner as well as a multi-facetted boutique and an agency which organizes events. This year the passion-driven Motorsport Company will celebrate its 40th anniversary. ORECA has already won the Daytona 24 hours and the Sebring 12 Hours so de Chaunac is dreaming of one thing - celebrating this anniversary with Toyota with an outright victory or one in LM P2 as a constructor!
