Britain’s Oliver Jarvis will replace record Le Mans 24 Hour race winner Tom Kristensen in the “factory” Audi team next year.

Jarvis, who celebrates his 31st birthday next month, takes the Audi Sport Team Joest seat of recently retired nine-time Le Mans winner Kristensen for the entire 2015 FIA World Endurance Championship.

The Cambridge driver has scored two third place finishes at Le Mans after making his debut in the twice-around-the-clock marathon in 2012 but has not previously contested a full WEC season.

“It’s an early Christmas present and at the same time a fulfilment of a dream,” commented Jarvis at the announcement in Germany last night (WED).

“I’ve got some big shoes to fill in replacing Tom, a nine-time winner at Le Mans and last year’s world sportscar champion, but I look forward to rising to the challenge.

“I joined Audi in 2008 and raced in DTM but it was always my dream to compete at Le Mans which I fulfilled in 2012. But to now contest the full WEC championship and fight for a world title is just amazing and something I strived to achieve.”

Jarvis begins the 2015 WEC season by contesting a 6 hour race alongside co-drivers Loïc Duval (F) and Lucas di Grassi (Br) in a hybrid-diesel Audi R18 e-tron quattro at Silverstone on 12 April.