Sebastian Alvarez will be the fourth driver of the DragonSpeed LMP2 entry for the Rolex 24 at Daytona (Fla.) Int’l Speedway on Jan. 27-28.
The 21-year-old European Le Mans Series rising star will fill the No. 81 car’s silver-ranked slot alongside the team’s 2022 Rolex-winning Bronze pilot Eric Lux, last year’s Rolex LMP2 victor James Allen and Allen’s ELMS co-champion – and NTT IndyCar Series rookie – Kyffin Simpson.
Following his early open-wheel exploits in British F-4 and GB3, Sebastian made the move to sports cars in 2022, impressing in European and Asian LMP3 competition. 2023 saw a strong debut in LMP2 which has been rewarded by a drive with the Le Mans LMP2 class-winning Inter Europol squad for the upcoming ELMS season.
The Mexico City native is a member of the prestigious Escuderia Telmex driver development program and brings a combination of speed and experience to his second Rolex 24 outing.
“I am very happy to return to Daytona, this time in LMP2 with DragonSpeed,” said Alvarez. “Last year we were leading LMP3 when we retired with a mechanical issue, so I feel there is unfinished business for me here. The team is so experienced and has already won this special race three times, so I am confident that if we stay out of trouble, we can challenge for the win in the final hours. I am motivated and ready!”
“Sebastian continues our team’s tradition of helping to put promising silver-ranked drivers on the map,” DragonSpeed team principal Elton Julian said. “He’s young and fast, but has also shown plenty of savvy and discipline in his ELMS career to date.
“He understands the job at hand, and rounds out a great driver lineup for our return to the Rolex.”