The 2016 IndyCar champion and 2019 Indy 500 winner with Team Penske forms part of Cool Racing’s roster in the LMP2 ORECA-Gibson 07 over a decade after his last Le Mans appearance when he finished second with Peugeot in 2011.
The Meyer Shank Racing IndyCar driver has regularly competed in sportscars in the meantime however, finishing second in the Daytona 24 Hours with an Action Express Cadillac in 2021 before winning each of the last two editions with MSR Acuras.
Pagenaud comes into the Cool lineup alongside European Le Mans Series team regulars Reshad de Gerus and Vladislav Lomko to replace Jose Maria Lopez, who is contesting Le Mans for Toyota.
When asked by Autosport if he’d be eager for more Le Mans appearances in future, Pagenaud said: “I want to be back every year, I have been wanting to be back every year.
“I have had issues with schedule conflicts with IndyCar schedule. Now that Roger Penske owns IndyCar, I think it’s going to be a lot easier since he has a team in the [World Endurance Championship] series here.
“I hope the schedule stays open and I want to be able to come back.
“Obviously my goal is to come back and try to be in a situation to compete for the win.”
Pagenaud made his Le Mans debut in 2008 with an ORECA-Courage before forming part of Peugeot’s lineup in each of the next three seasons prior to its withdrawal.
The American Le Mans Series champion revealed there had been “a lot of talks” in the years since his last appearance but had not come to fruition.
Source: Autosport