Embassy Racing has confirmed that it has put pen to paper on a three-year deal to retain the services of Warren Hughes ahead of the latest round of the Le Mans Series at Spa.
Hughes, who raced against the team during the 2005 British GT Championship while part of Team LNT, joined Jonathan France's ambitious outfit at the start of the season when he was due to line-up alongside Neil Cunningham in a Pilbeam Judd for the team's first foray into prototype racing in the Le Mans Series.
Problems with the car however led to a switch to the ex-Rollcentre Racing Radical, with the pair having secured mixed results to date as the team deals with some teething problems encountered with the new machine.
Despite that, Hughes has done enough to secure an extension to his deal, which will run through to 2010 and – while not giving much away about future plans – he said the programme in place left him in no doubt about signing on for another three years.
“As a team owner, Jonathan not only has tremendous drive and enthusiasm, but that rare ability to know, and to provide, what is needed for success on the track,” he said. “When we talked about the team's future it was obvious to me that with the technical, human, and financial resources available to them, Embassy Racing was where I wanted to be.
“As a racing driver, we all want to be in the most competitive car available, and having been privy to the team's 2008 plans for some time, it wasn't really a difficult decision to make. Winning races is what I enjoy doing most, and I have no doubt that Embassy can provide me with that opportunity on a regular basis in the years ahead.”
Despite only being eight months into the current deal, team boss France was thrilled to re-sign Hughes to a longer deal although he too was cagey about the plans for next season – with at least one of the Porsche RS Spyders currently leading the way in the American Le Mans Series being set to come to Europe next year.
“Warren is an exceptionally talented driver, and I am extremely pleased that he will be driving with us, rather than our competitors, for the next three years,” he said. “His speed, race-craft, and dedication have never been in doubt, and mark him out as a true professional. The nature of this long-term agreement gives us both the continuity and stability that is needed for consistent success both on and off the track.
“We are entering an interesting and exciting phase here at Embassy, and re-signing Warren is the first step along the road to success. We have other plans in place to ensure that we are at the forefront of prototype racing for the foreseeable future, and much more than that I cannot say.
“I realise that there has been considerable speculation as to our choice of chassis for next year, and whilst we already own a Pilbeam and a Radical, I can only comment that next year's car will have a hint of Germanic engineering somewhere in its genes!”
