The decision to drop Vector Sport and join Duqueine was for financial reasons, admits Isotta Fraschini – frustration at Vector runs deep
The big bang at Isotta Fraschini is due to budget problems. The manufacturer revived by Michelotto admits this openly. The Le Mans hypercar will not be used in the 2024 World Endurance Championship (WEC) by Vector Sport as planned, but by Team Duqueine.
Claudio Berro, Motorsport Director of Isotta Fraschini, explains to Motorsport.com, “Duqueine, a global company, had a sponsor in the bag. As a small company, we need realistic support.”
It was “not an easy decision” to drop development partner Vector Sport. He assures us that we are “still open” to working with Vector Sport in the future. (Overview: Teams, drivers and manufacturers in the 2024 WEC)
But this will not happen, because Vector is visibly upset. When the entry list was published, the former LMP2 team issued a press release in which it expressed its anger and accused Isotta Fraschini of breaching his contract.
Team principal Gary Holland now added to Motorsport.com: “There was a ‘we need more money’ situation. We said it’s not a problem. Can you just give us the data [from the tests]? And we want you to meet these minimal demands. They said, ‘Absolutely not’.”
Holland also makes no secret of his disappointment: “We had a very strong driver pairing, several champions and drivers who have won the biggest races in the world. I’m devastated that we can’t see them in this car in this program. “
Who is Duqueine?
The Duquine Group is a major French manufacturer of composite materials, which are used in the aviation industry by Airbus, Boeing, ATR, Dassault and Comac, among others. But Duqueine also produces components for radio telescopes, wind tunnels, racing bikes and the defense industry.
However, the company is best known to the public for its motorsport activities, including in the LMP3 sector. At the end of 2017, Duqueine took over the constructor Norma Auto Concept and launched the first LMP3 car under its own name, the M30-D08, for the 2020 racing season. Fittingly, Duqueine also manufactures wheels for the road-going version of the Isotta Fraschini Tipo 6.
The Duqueine team was founded in 2014 as Duqueine Engineering and has worked its way up from the GT3 to the LMP3 and LMP2 classes. However, the team based in Ales has no experience in the WEC – apart from the Le Mans races since 2019.
The team made its breakthrough there in 2023: Rene Binder, Neel Jani and Nico Pino finished third in LMP2 with their Oreca 07. In the European Le Mans Series (ELMS), the trio achieved a season win this year, which was also a first for the team.
Vector Sport is already fighting back and has announced its intention to look for a hypercar program with another manufacturer. “What looks like bad news today could be a great opportunity tomorrow,” says Holland. Talks are already underway. Vector Sport will compete in LMP2 in the ELMS in 2024