After beginning his adventure in 2000 with a Courage chassis and forging strong ties with the Sarthe-based manufacturer, Henri Pescarolo dedicated himself to developing the cars entered by his team to such an extent that he ultimately decided to become a constructor himself. This marked a natural, almost inevitable progression in the tradition of great racing stories, much like Jean Rondeau’s epic in the 1970s and 80s. While the Pescarolo C60 was the first LMP1 designed by the team led by the former endurance driver, it was largely based on the Courage C60. The Pescarolo 01, however, was truly the first in-house creation, as its simple name, 01, indicates. Ascott Collection is pleased to offer today an example for sale: chassis 09/2010, which was seen at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2011.

 

Origins of the first LMP1 designed 100% at Pescarolo Sport

The Pescarolo 01 is a prototype introduced in 2007 and entirely built by Pescarolo Sport. The car was designed to meet LMP1 and LMP2 regulations as a replacement for the C60 chassis, itself derived from cars bought from Team Courage Compétition. One can see a form of lineage with the cars previously entered by Pesca’s greens — namely the Courages C52, C60, and then the Pescarolo-Courage C60.

The “lineage” is also visual: the early 01s used the C60 bodywork. While the 01 chassis remained largely unchanged in 2008 and 2009, Oak Racing’s takeover of Pescarolo Automobiles saw the cars evolve rapidly, up to the final 2011 versions, of which chassis 10 — now offered for sale — is the culmination.

OAK Racing indeed reached an agreement with Pescarolo Sport (Sora Group) to take over the manufacturing side of its activity. Consequently, development and construction of the chassis, bodywork and spare parts for the Pescarolo LMP1 and LMP2 prototypes were handled by OAK Racing from 2011. The same applied to all commercial activities. Technical development of the prototypes was carried out in collaboration with Pescarolo Sport’s design office (for a time renamed Pescarolo Team) before Oak Racing ultimately integrated all competencies in‑house.

Jacques Nicolet — boss of Oak Racing and representative of the JN Automotive structure — acquired the development and manufacturing rights for the 2010 Pescarolo LMP1, but this arrangement allowed Henri Pescarolo to resume control of his team’s direction, with entries punctuated by successes in Europe. Jacques Nicolet, who had already tasted LMP1 in 2008, was counting on the 01 to return to the top. Pescarolo 01 chassis were reputed for their reliability and agility. Alexandre Prémat notably praised the chassis’ qualities, even suggesting he found its balance more effective than an Audi LMP1!

 

Pescarolo 01 OAK LMP1 #09

This Pescarolo 01 OAK was entered in the Le Mans Series during the 2010 season driven by Mathieu Lahaye and Jacques Nicolet in LMP2 configuration. Late in the season, Frédéric Da Rocha joined the crew to race Petit Le Mans. It was later upgraded to LMP1 by its manufacturer, and was entered at the 12 Hours of Sebring and the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The crew comprised Richard Hein, Jean‑François Yvon and Jacques Nicolet.

It was then kept by Ligier Automotive. During the winter of 2018/2019 it was restored by Ligier and sold to a British competitor who campaigned it in Masters Endurance Legends and achieved several wins. It was subsequently sold to its current owner who has also campaigned it in MEL. After a pole position at Silverstone Classic in 2023, the Pescarolo finished second, flanked by two Peugeot 90X LMP1s.

It is maintained by Scott Sport near Birmingham, and is now available for sale. It is eligible for numerous top‑level events and, from 2026, for the Le Mans Classic Legend in the new Le Mans Legends series (Grid 10).