It has been nearly four years in the making, but later today (19 September 2020) Nobuya Yamanaka will compete in the 24 Hours of Le Mans for the first time, fulfilling a long-held ambition for the Japanese Gentleman driver.
A successful businessman, car-enthusiast, and amateur driver, Nobuya has accelerated his programme for the 24-hour race in recent months. He stepped up to LMP2 on a global scale with first the Asian Le Mans Series and more recently the FIA World Endurance Championship at Spa-Francorchamps, where he and the Eurasia Motorsport were able to complete the final test ahead of the big race itself.
It all started with a conversation at Fuji Speedway in 2016. Since then, Nobuya has been guided step-by-step by Professional drivers, the Nielsen Racing and Eurasia teams as well as BAM Motorsport Management, culminating on Thursday evening when he and the team qualified for the 88th edition of the classic sportscar event.
Nobuya will take the French Tricolour at 14.30 CEST today in the #35 Ligier JS P217, competing alongside two very capable racers, Roberto Merhi and Nick Foster.
“It is quite amazing to me that I am about to compete in the world’s most famous race the Le Mans 24 hours,” Nobuya said. “Everybody knows that it has long been my dream to take part in this race and so much effort by so many people has gone into delivering my dream.
“Now I have the chance to actually take part; It’s unbelievable for me and I am so excited to take the start of the race alongside such great professional drivers. I love Le Mans; it is an incredible place and a very special race. I hope to do my best to race well and enjoy every lap.”
The Road to Le Mans for Nobuya Yamanaka
2018-19: Asian Le Mans Series LMP3, Eurasia Motorsport
2019: Road to Le Mans LMP3, Nielsen Racing
2019: European Le Mans Series LMP3, Nielsen Racing
2019-20: Asian Le Mans Series LMP2, Eurasia Motorsport
2020: FIA World Endurance Championship, Eurasia Motorsport.
Spurce. BAM Motorsports
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