Pla replaces Nunez in AXR Cadillac for remainder of IMSA season

Action Express Racing (AXR) has signed French driver Olivier Pla to partner Pipo Derani for the remainder of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season, starting with this weekend’s Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix. Tristan Nunez, who has driven the No. 31 so far this season, will remain with the team in a stand-by role.

Pla brings a wealth of sports car experience both in Europe and in the United States, where he has a previous history with Mazda and Meyer Shank Racing, and he will be competing with Glickenhaus at Le Mans next week alongside Derani. Pla drove the No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac DPi-V.R for the first time last week in testing at Road Atlanta.

“Joining Action Express Racing is very special to me,” Pla said. “I’ve been racing against them for many years, and I know how good they are on the track. What they’ve achieved by winning so many races and championships speaks for itself. It will be a big challenge to arrive mid-season, but I’m ready to take on this challenge. The Cadillac DPi-V.R is a fantastic car and I can’t wait to race it. And of course, extremely happy and proud to join such a great driver and friend Pipo Derani!”

Added AXR Team Director Gary Nelson: “We are happy to have Olivier join the AXR team starting with the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix this weekend. The IMSA DPi Class is very competitive this year and we want to make sure we can have a strong second half to the season. Tristan has done a great job driving the Whelen Engineering Cadillac. All of us at Action Express Racing have developed a great relationship with Tristan and his family. He is a young driver with many wins and championships in his future. Tristan remains a major part of this team, and we value having his input on the race weekends to keep moving our program forward.”