Newbridge Motorsport will be looking to consolidate Guillaume Gruchet’s position in the Britcar MSA British Endurance Championship standings when the series resumes at Belgium’s globally-renowned Spa-Francorchamps circuit this weekend (7-8 June).
The Milton Keynes-based outfit has enjoyed a highly positive start to its 2014 Britcar campaign, having run at the very front in the series’ previous two meetings.
Gentleman driver Gruchet has taken the fight to the professional racers, coming out on top on several occasions to earn a brace of podiums and propel himself to fourth in the standings.
The Frenchman, who will contest Spa’s Britcar round single-handedly, will be looking to add to his expanding silverware collection this weekend, as well as claw back points on nearest class rivals, David Mason and Calum Lockie, who sit atop the standings.
Unlike the last two meetings, this weekend features a pair of two-hour endurance races.
Stretching 4.35miles, Spa-Francorchamps is widely regarded as one of the world’s most demanding racetracks, mainly due to its fast, undulating and twisty nature, which also makes it a favourite among drivers and fans alike.
“My overall aim for the weekend is to consolidate my position in the championship standings, which would be a tremendous result,” said Gruchet. “I am expecting a difficult race as it’s a new circuit for me and will be a steep learning curve, but I am really excited about the challenge at hand. It’s the longest circuit on the calendar and there will be a lot of emphasis on top speed, which plays into the hands of the higher-powered cars.
“I am hoping for a dry weekend, as this will help in learning the track, but it could also increase the temperature inside the car and lead to dehydration, so I’ve got to make sure I have plenty of fluids before I step into the car. At Silverstone I competed in two 90-minute races in one day and I felt okay, so I feel physically fit to complete this weekend.
Gruchet continued: “The focus for me is to try and finish in front of the two Ferraris, especially Nigel Greensall, who is a very quick professional driver. If I come away from this weekend still ahead of him in the standings I will be very happy.”
Newbridge Motorsport Team Principal, Richard Tovey, said: “The team and I would be looking to consolidate Guillaume’s (Gruchet) fourth place in the championship standings as, looking at the entry list, he’s up against some very stiff opposition. Guillaume is facing two Ferrari 458s and an Audi R8, all of which are more powerful than the Porsche 997, so a podium finish would be fantastic, but fourth might be more realistic.
“Other teams on the grid are running with two drivers, but Guillaume is doing the whole event on his own. He has effectively got to do 30 minutes more than a usual race weekend, but he’s been training hard in the gym as Spa-Francorchamps is a physically demanding circuit.”
Qualifying for the Britcar MSA British Endurance Championship is scheduled to get underway at 10.20 on Saturday (7 June), followed by the weekend’s opening race at 15.15.
The second and final race of the weekend is scheduled for 11.25 on Sunday (8 June).