Callum Ilott to start first full FIA World Endurance Championship campaign at Losail International Circuit in Qatar

Callum Ilott is targeting victory when he starts his first full FIA World Endurance Championship campaign in Qatar on Saturday (March 2).

The Bishop’s Stortford driver, whose family live in the Hadhams, will make his debut for British squad Hertz Team JOTA, racing a Porsche 963 Hypercar for the first time in the near 1,200-mile, 10-hour race.

Ilott, 25, who undertook a test with the Arrow McLaren IndyCar team at Homestead last week, shares driving duties of the #12 Porsche with Will Stevens and Norman Nato.

The former Bishop’s Stortford College student clocked his first miles in the Porsche around the 3.37-mile Losail International Circuit, located north of Doha, earlier this year in a two-day test and again earlier this week.

“Obviously the aim is to win or claim a podium, but my target is to be the best-placed LMDh [Le Mans Daytona h] car and score good, solid points,” said Ilott, a former Alfa Romeo Racing Orlen Formula 1 reserve driver who competed for Juncos Hollinger Racing in the NTT IndyCar Series in America from 2021 to 2023.

“I believe I’ll be on the pace speed-wise, even though it’s a new car to me, but I’ll need to acclimatise with my new team-mates and to the team itself.

“It’s a 10-hour race so I’d expect to be in the car for around three hours in total, with my driving stints split with Will and Norman. I’ve been doing some heat and endurance training at home in preparation.

“I tested Arrow McLaren’s IndyCar in Florida just before coming out to Qatar, which was cool, but it’s now total focus on getting my first full WEC season off to a good start.”

Ilott contested the 2021 GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup and made his Le Mans 24 Hour race debut the same year, finishing third in the LMGTE Am category.

He added: “The Losail track is both technical and physical, with quite high G-forces, while the ambient temperature is likely to be in the mid 20s. The biggest difference between the single-seaters that I’ve been used to is the weight of the Porsche.

“The hybrid system on the Porsche isn’t too different compared to the F1 cars I’ve driven and I’m taking advice from the team plus Will [Stevens], who raced the car last year. Exciting times lie ahead.”