OLIVER Webb will step up to the World Endurance Championship's highest level for the forthcoming campaign after agreeing to race for German outfit ByKolles Racing.

The Knutsford driver will be on the grid at Silverstone for next month's campaign curtain-raiser.

"It's a great move for my career to drive faster, more advanced machinery," said the 24-year-old.

"I'm excited to be involved, and have had good conversations already with the team - I'm happy with the direction the car's development is going in."

Webb, who contested the championships' LMP2 category for Team SARD Morand in 2015, will share duties behind the wheel with Simon Trummer and Pierre Kaffer.

He was a victor in the European Le Mans Series the previous year.

"We have been watching Oliver for a while and were impressed back when he raced single-seater cars," said Boris Bermis, director of racing operations for ByKolles.

"His achievements in endurance racing already speak for themselves, and I'm convinced he'll be a great asset for our team.

"He's a young, fast sports-car driver who has gained a lot of experience in recent seasons, and he fits perfectly with his teammates in terms of character and approach."

Webb has enjoyed a successful start to the calendar year, including second spot overall at the Dubai 24-hour race in January.

He also helped Race Performance, from Switzerland, collect the points they required from the final three rounds of the Asian Le Mans series to capture the LMP2 class title.