Newbridge Motorsport will use the forthcoming 2014 Britcar MSA British Endurance Championship (BEC), starting with Silverstone’s season-opener (11-12 April), to hone its and its drivers’ abilities in preparation for a full European Le Mans (ELMS) campaign in 2015. 

The flagship championship in the Britcar family, the MSA British Endurance Championship caters for state-of-the-art GT cars you might see contesting the legendary Le Mans 24 Hours to smaller, but just as striking GT4-spec machines.
 
The Milton-Keyes-based Newbridge Motorsport outfit had a strong end to the 2013 Britcar season, finishing inside the top ten overall, and enters the 2014 season with the primary aim of gaining experience with its newly acquired Porsche 997 GT3, as it prepares for a full-time assault on the 2015 ELMS.
 
The outfit’s stunning new Porsche GT3 will be piloted by BRSCC Porsche graduate Guillaume Gruchet, who is targeting improved pace and consistent results in 2014, beginning with this weekend’s Britcar season-opener at Silverstone (11-12 April).
 
“My main objective for 2014 is to finish as many races as possible” said Frenchman, Gruchet. “One thing I learnt in 2013 during my first season in Britcar is that consistency pays off. It’s not always about the fastest car, it’s about the car that delivers consistent lap times again and again until the last lap of the race. I’ll be looking to improve my speed and find those extra few tenths of a second and hopefully stay clear of any on-track incidents.
 
“Having finished third in class and 13th overall in the Production Cup Championship, I will be certainly looking to improve on those results. It won’t be easy as the Endurance Championship is very competitive and the quality of the drivers is superb.”
 
Lining-up alongside Gruchet is Chris Valentine, who also makes the switch from the BRSCC Porsche Championship to Britcar following the introduction of the Trophy Series, which consists of three 30-minute races.
 
“As part of my long-term goal of competing in a 24-hour race, I decided to move to Britcar for the 2014 season. They have just launched a new series of 30-minute races at circuits I’m already familiar with and that will suit the Porsche Boxster with little modification.”

Paul Moraviec is the third Newbridge driver to line up for Britcar 2014; Moraviec will contest selected Britcar events throughout the 2014 season ahead of a full campaign in 2015.

Completing Newbridge’s line-up is Andy Somerton, who has over 20 years of experience racing Historics, but returns to motorsport in selected rounds of the HSCC Guards Trophy with his evocative 1965 Series 1 Lotus Elan following a five-year sabbatical.
 
“I have had a few years out of racing and will be returning with my Lotus Elan, which I’m really excited about. The car is in its final stages of preparation and my intention is to test it very soon. From there, we will partake in selective race outings this year, ready for a full season of racing in the HSCC Guards Trophy next season.”
 
Newbridge Motorsport Team Principal, Richard Tovey, said: “Newbridge’s aims and objectives as a team are mainly focused on Britcar this year. We will be using this coming season to develop our drivers Guillaume (Gruchet), Chris (Valentine) and Andy (Somerton) before hopefully coming away with the title at the end of the year and heading into the 2015 season full of confidence.
 
“As well as building the team’s confidence and expertise in endurance racing in Britcar, the ambition is to compete in the European Le Mans Series in 2015 with the view of stepping up into the FIA World Endurance Championship in 2016.”

For more information on Newbridge Motorsport, visit their official website www.newbridgemotorsport.com, ‘like’ their Facebook page and follow them @NewbridgeMS on Twitter.