Ryo Hirakawa will join Pierre Thiriet and Mathias beech in a new look Thiriet by TDS Racing effort that also sees a new livery adorn the #46 Oreca 05 Nissan for the 2016 season.

The team’s efforts are again focused on the European Le Mans Series and the Le Mans 24 Hours as Thiriet by TDS look to wrestle back the ELMS title they won back in 2012.

Pierre Thiriet has raced for the Xavier Combet and Jacques Morello owned team since 2011.

Mathias Beche joins the team for the full season after sharing the ELMS title with Thiriet four years ago. The Rebellion Racing driver in LM P1 in World Endurance Championship (FIA WEC) rejoins the team as part of a partnership between TDS Racing team and Rebellion Timepieces.

Ryo Hirakawa started in karts in 2007,winning the All Japan Junior Kart Championship the following year.

Hirakawa (above) turns 22 years old on Monday but already has the 2012 All-Japan Formula Three championship to his name too (winning the Porsche Carrera Cup Japan in the same year!). Since then he has been driving in Super Formula Japan and in Super GT for Team Tom’s and in 2016 is part of the Toyota Young Drivers Programme (TDP).

The line-up will remain unchanged for the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the team entering for the sixth time in a row. but looking to go one better than the pair of second places in LMP2 that they have already score in 2012 and 2014.