European Le Mans Series-winning outfit DragonSpeed will move up to the LMP1 category of the World Endurance Championship next year.
The team, run by former F3 driver Elton Julian, announced plans to contest the 2018-19 'super season' with an unstated LMP1 prototype.
Former Renault development driver Ben Hanley and DragonSpeed patron Henrik Hedman have been confirmed as the first two drivers for the new venture.
DragonSpeed recently won the European Le Mans Series LMP2 championship with a crew running under the G-Drive Racing banner.
“The whole team is thrilled and up for the challenge," said Julian.
"Having won sportscar titles in GT3 and LMP2, the natural progression for our highly talented and motivated crew is to move up to LMP1."
"We’re carefully studying potential partners who can help us put together a programme which will deliver the progress and success we want for DragonSpeed."
"Everyone is on the same page in terms of the package and approach we need, and we can’t wait to get started.”
The team said in a statement that it is "evaluating a range of chassis, engine, and third driver options" for the single entry.
Unlike the LMP2 category, which DragonSpeed currently races in with two ORECA 07s, LMP1 is open to any chassis and engine builder.
Ginetta and BR Engineering are the two main companies with LMP1 projects set to debut in 2018.
Next year's WEC will bring the hybrid manufacturers and non-hybrid privateer entries closer together as part of changes to the regulations.
Julien added that he hoped the new rules, which are to be fully released in December, will enable close competition between the two LMP1 sub-divisions.
“I look back to 2005, when I first drove at Le Mans [with Racing for Holland]," he said, “Where you had a single works team with Audi plus a great supporting cast of privateers running six different chassis and four different engines," said Julien.
"In fact, the pole went to one of the privateers. If Toyota continues – and we all hope they will – I think over the next couple of years we can bring back that variety and tradition of privateers being genuinely competitive in the top class.”
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