The Britcar MSA British Endurance Championship returns to British shores this weekend (5 July) at Cheshire’s Oulton Park circuit, where Newbridge Motorsport will be seeking more glory.
Built into the natural contours of the Cheshire countryside, Oulton Park’s combination of stunning scenery and challenging, fast-flowing corners offers both drivers and fans a great spectacle.
Newbridge Motorsport has had a highly successful beginning to this season’s Britcar championship, claiming several accolades along the way, and will be looking to continue that success at Oulton Park this weekend.
Awarded the Driver of the Weekend at the championship’s last outing at Belgium’s legendary Spa-Francorchamps, Guillaume Gruchet, who sits third in the championship standings, has enjoyed much success during his 2014 Britcar campaign after battling with many of the series’ more experienced professional drivers.
Fighting on par with higher powered machines, such as two Ferrari 458s and an Audi R8 Ultra, Gruchet has shown determination and resilience to come out on top on several occasions.
On the other side of the Newbridge Motorsport garage, Chris Valentine heads to Oulton Park on a wave of positivity after scoring a hat-trick of class wins at Thruxton last month in the Britcar Trophy Series.
The BRSCC Porsche Championship graduate will experience the headlining endurance series this weekend in two 90-minute races, which are both physically and mentally demanding.
Newbridge Motorsport Team Principal, Richard Tovey, said: “This season so far is developing nicely, as we are battling against professional drivers in more powerful machinery. However, we still have a long way to go and we will continue to focus on each race to maintain our position in the championship.
“I’m hoping Chris (Valentine) will finish his first endurance race. Like Guillaume (Gruchet), he will be contests the whole event single-handedly, which will be a real test on both his stamina and concentration.
Tovey continued: “For Guillaume, it’s going to be tough, as we have a fourth pro driver joining the grid with another Ferrari 458. It’s going to be a tall order to win enough points to maintain our position in the championship, but we’re going to do our very best to ensure Guillaume ends the year as the number one gentleman driver in Britcar.”