Rising Danish star joins Akkodis ASP Team for Bahrain season finale
Akkodis ASP Team will run a revised driver line-up in its #78 Lexus in the forthcoming FIA World Endurance Championship season finale, with Conrad Laursen set to join the French outfit in Bahrain (31 October – 2 November).
Despite his tender years – having only turned 18 five months ago – Laursen has already accumulated an impressive résumé and no shortage of experience in the sport. After winning the F4 Danish Championship in his maiden campaign of car racing following a successful stint in karting, the Copenhagen native subsequently contested similar single-seater series in Italy, Germany and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) before switching to GT competition in 2023.
Participating in both the Asian Le Mans Series and European Le Mans Series that season, Laursen claimed a pair of podium finishes in the latter’s LMGTE category. He went on to win the ELMS Catalunya curtain-raiser this year in the new LMGT3 division before returning to the rostrum last time out at Mugello, as part of a driving crew that also included countryman and reigning 24 Hours of Le Mans winner, Nicklas Nielsen.
Indeed, Nielsen was not the only Dane to star at La Sarthe during the summer, as Laursen – making his debut in the legendary round-the-clock marathon – posted the fastest lap in the LMGT3 class, competing for the AF Corse-run Spirit of Race squad.
Akkodis ASP Team similarly shone at Le Mans, with its pair of Lexus RC F GT3 cars leading for 25 laps between them on their first appearance in the race en route to sixth and eighth positions at the chequered flag – amongst a handful of encouraging top ten results to-date in 2024.
Laursen will join regular drivers Kelvin van der Linde and Arnold Robin behind the wheel of the #78 entry in the Bapco Energies 8 Hours of Bahrain, replacing Austria’s Clemens Schmid, who has made three appearances for Akkodis ASP Team this year.
