Newbridge Motorsport hauled yet more silverware from Silverstone to their Milton Keynes headquarters after securing eight podiums with the Anglo-Canadian pairing of Chris Valentine and Fareed Ali in the MSA British Dunlop Endurance Championship (18-19 September).
Ali headed into his third ever race weekend in a buoyant frame of mind after taking his Newbridge Motorsport-prepared Porsche Boxster to the podium in each of his previous two meetings, and there was a considerable hike in his and teammate Valentine’s performance between free practice and qualifying at Silverstone , where the pairing recorded the 11th fastest time (18 September).
Valentine took the start of the first race at the world-famous Northamptonshire circuit and stayed out of trouble for the duration of his 70-minute stint before peeling into the pits and vacating the drivers’ seat for teammate Ali, who completed the final 20 minutes and greeted the chequered flag in third overall.
With confidence high in the Newbridge Motorsport garage, Ali and Valentine lined-up on the fourth row of the Silverstone grid for the second and final endurance race of the weekend.
With more competitors taking up their positions, the Milton Keynes-based Newbridge Motorsport team had its work cut out to maintain its 100 per cent podium finishing run in 2015, but shrewd and economical driving from Ali and Valentine meant a fuel stop was not required, saving valuable seconds.
Ophthalmic consultant, Ali, continued learning the intricacies of both the track and his car with each passing lap, setting times considerably quicker than at the start of the weekend, before handing the reins over to teammate Valentine, who did everything required of him to once again finish third overall and third in the Trophy category.
The pairing made light work of their competitors to add a second Endurance Championship podium to their earlier successes, along with yet another Trophy podium, bringing their total to eight.
Newbridge Motorsport Team Pricipal, Richard Tovey, said: “Chris (Valentine) and Fareed (Ali) did a superb job all weekend, considering it was the longest they had been in the car at any one time. To come away with a big haul of eight trophies is fantastic! Fareed went out testing with Mike Wilds on Friday, where he really got to grips with both the car and track, setting a best time in the 1m22s, but, during his longer stints in the race, he got into a rhythm and set a best time three seconds quicker. Chris yet again produced another strong drive and was justly rewarded with a great trophy haul. Both drivers have now committed to the series’ night race at Donington Park next month and for their first race in the hours of darkness.”
Newbridge Motorsport is excited about the prospect of welcoming new drivers to the fold as the team takes its next step on the road to Le Mans, with LMP3 seats still available and the possibility of fielding a two-car assault on the 2016 European Le Mans Series (ELMS).
Parties interested in Newbridge Motorsport’s European Le Mans Series (ELMS) campaign should contact Richard Tovey:
Phone – +44 (0) 1296 682652
Mobile – +44 (0) 7795 421611
Email – richard@newbridgemotorsport.com