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TVR Joins Rebellion Racing In The WEC LMP1 Category

TVR, as you’re well aware, is back from the dead with the Griffith. A lightweight sports car with a Cosworth-tuned V8 engine sourced from Ford, the newcomer is joined by an LMP1 prototype racer. Built by Oreca, fielded by Rebellion Racing, and powered by a Gibson-developed 4.5-liter V8, the racing car is gifted with the TVR logo as part of a partnership that includes motor lubricants company Motul.
Rebellion R-13 with TVR sponsorship 5 photos
Photo: Rebellion Racing
Rebellion R-13 with TVR sponsorshipRebellion R-13 with TVR sponsorshipRebellion R-13 with TVR sponsorshipRebellion R-13 with TVR sponsorship
To make a long story short, TVR is back in the World Endurance Championship after a long, long absence. The last time the British automaker participated in the WEC was 2005, when the Tuscan-based T400R took on the 24 Hours of Le Mans in the GT2 category with the help of the all-British team Racesport Peninsula TVR.

“Endurance racing is a key part of TVR’s DNA, and our role as the primary automotive partner of Rebellion Racing TVR gives us a great opportunity to return to the sport for the first time in 13 years,” said Led Edgar, chairman of TVR. “It's a new ambitious adventure that starts for Rebellion and we're looking forward to seeing our two R-13s face our competitors,” added Calim Bouhadra of Rebellion.

The 2018-2019 Super Season will start with the 6 Hours of Spa in May 2018, with the LMP1 class consisting of six entrants. Toyota Gazoo Racing is the only works team in the top-tier category, with two-time Formula 1 champion Fernando Alonso confirmed in the driver lineup.

Rebellion, on the other hand, will rely on Bruno Senna, Andre Lotterer, Neel Jani, Thomas Laurent, Mathias Beche, and Gustavo Menezes. The 2018-2019 Super Season won’t be easy for Rebellion, having contested the LMP2 class in 2017 after two fruitless years in LMP1. In 2014, however, Rebellion took the title in the LMP1-L category.

The TVR 1, 2, and 3 were all racing cars, and the first Le Mans that TVR ever contested was the 1962 edition. Joining Rebellion as a partner in the World Endurance Championship, however, is far from what TVR was doing back in the day. There's no other way of saying this, but the automaker bought some expensive stickers on the R-13, and that's the gist of it.

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About the author: Mircea Panait
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After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well.
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