G-DRIVE RACING KEEP TITLE HOPES ALIVE AT SPA

G-Drive Racing kept their European Le Mans Series title hopes alive with a fifth place finish at Spa-Francorchamps on Sunday (September 25).

Giedo van der Garde, Simon Dolan and Harry Tincknell had led the four-hour race until the final 90 minutes, but two Safety Cars in quick succession during the middle stint disrupted their strategy and cost the #38 Gibson 015S-Nissan a chance of repeating their famous success at Spa in the FIA World Endurance Championship last year.

After Tincknell qualified the car third, Van der Garde moved up one position at the start and consolidated his position before making an early stop for fuel under a Full Course Yellow (FCY). The time saved in the pits ensured the Dutchman moved into the lead by the end of his stint, before Dolan took over in second position.

After a few laps to get up to speed on his new tyres, the Briton shrugged off the challenge of Andreas Wirth’s SMP Racing BR01-Nissan and quickly set about catching the race leader when the first of two Safety Cars appeared to repair barrier damage on lap 37. Having only recently pitted, Dolan stayed out and duly took the lead when the four-hour event restarted. 

The race had only been green for a further twelve minutes when the Safety Car reappeared with just over two hours remaining. Dolan was unable to come to the pits in time, so G-Drive decided to stay out and delay their third stop until shortly before the return to green, thereby stretching their fuel window. 

Unfortunately the Safety Car was withdrawn earlier than expected, which required Dolan and several other like-minded rivals to pit under green, costing them valuable time to the cars which had already pitted.

Having decided not to change tyres in a bid to protect track position, Dolan put up a strong fight against the professional drivers around him who were on much fresher rubber, but pitted in eighth place as he handed over to Tincknell on lap 65. 

With a fresh set of Dunlop tyres underneath him, Tincknell was now the fastest man on track and had risen to fifth spot before making his final stop with twenty minutes to go. The 24-year-old re-joined sixth, but gained a further position in the dying minutes after Andrea Pizzitola’s Algarve Pro Racing Ligier JS P2-Nissan lodged itself in the gravel, which caused the race to end under Full Course Yellow.

Although the overriding emotion was disappointment due to the poorly timed Safety Cars, G-Drive Racing are still in the hunt for the championship with only one round to go at Estoril in Portugal on 23 October, where they will push hard to overturn a 13-point deficit to championship leaders TDS by Thiriet Racing.

QUOTES

Giedo van der Garde
“My opening stint was good and the car felt nice to drive and we were in a comfortable second place. We made the call to come in early on the first Safety Car and it put us out of synch with most of the field and when the other Safety Cars came it hurt us unfortunately.

“We head to the last round at Estoril which is a circuit I really enjoy. Lets us see what happens there. 13 points is a lot but we just have to do our best and try and win it. The rest will take care of itself. We need some luck but we also need to make sure we are in the best position to capitalise on any misfortune for the TDS team.”

Harry Tincknell
“We had great pace for qualifying even though we are aware of the straight-line speed deficit to the newer cars. Third place was a good team effort and a place where we could build a fine race.

Giedo and Simon drove really well in their stints. We strategy call with the early stop didn’t quite go our way and when I got in the car there was some damage to the front splitter which limited my pace but I still managed to get passed Coletti for third place.

“It is disappointing to finish 5th as I think we could have at last challenged for the win but we have nothing to lose at Estoril.”

Simon Dolan, Partner/Driver JOTA Sport
"In hindsight it was unfortunate that we came in for the early stop as it hurt us later when the other Safety Car period came. It is unusual to have so much SC time in a race at Spa.

“It is doubly frustrating when we knew that we could have fought for the win. The car was well suited to sector two in particular and we were quick throughout the stints. The result leaves us with a lot to in Portugal and we have to count on some bad luck for the TDS guys. But together we will be battling all the way so we can give this great car a send-off it deserves.”

Gary Holland - Team Manager
"In the race our strategy was compromised by the length of the second safety car. We had to have a 'splash and dash' at some point during the race and the first safety car was a very good opportunity to get this done but it didn’t work out as we wished.

“We think that at least P2 was possible last weekend as the pace in the car and our tyre management was very good. All three drivers drove very strong races; especially Simon battling with Beche (TDS) whilst on much older tyres. 

“We now need to analyse our race in detail to learn lessons before Estoril next month but we will keep fighting to the last corner.”

Result & Points

LMP2/Overall Race Result – Spa-Francorchamps

1 Lapierre/Hedman/Hanley                  Dragonspeed ORECA 05-Nissan
2 Stevens/ D Vanthoor/ L Vanthoor     Team WRT Ligier-Judd
3 Thiriet/Beche/Hirakawa                     Thiriet by TDS ORECA 05-Nissan
4 Rojas/Canal/Berthon                         Greaves Motorsport Ligier-Nissan
5 Dolan/Tincknell/van der Garde       G-Drive Racing Gibson 015S-Nissan
6 Leal/Wirth/Coletti                              SMP Racing BR01-Nissan

2016 European Le Mans Series for LMP2 drivers
1 Thiriet//Beche                                   91
2 Tincknell/Dolan/Van der Garde     78
3 Wirth/Coletti                                      69
4 Hirakawa                                           65
5 Leal                                                    61
6 Lapierre/Hedman/Hanley                  57
 
European Le Mans Series LMP2 Teams’ Championship

1 Thiriet by TDS Racing                      91
2 G-Drive Racing                               78
3 SMP Racing                                      68
4 Dragonspeed                                    57
5 Eurasia Motorsport                           40
6 Greaves Motorsport                          36
 

G-DRIVE RACING ROUND UP A PODIUM FINISH IN SCORCHING AUSTIN 

G-Drive Racing secured a well-deserved podium finish at the sixth round of the FIA World Endurance Championship in the USA to keep their title hopes alive.

The #26 ORECA 05-Nissan, driven by Alex Brundle, Rene Rast and Roman Rusinov, started from the back of the field at the Six Hours of the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, but staged a superb recovery to finish third in the LMP2 class and 10th overall.

It was the third podium of the 2016 season for the car that is operationally run by the JOTA Sport organisation and moved G-Drive Racing up to third in the championship points with three races remaining.

Brundle, whose qualifying efforts had been disallowed for exceeding track limits, began the race from the back of the field. But the Briton wasted no time in slicing his way through the order.

Within five minutes he’d climbed 13 places, and by the end of his stint he’d made further gains to lie fifth in LMP2 and 13th overall.

Rast continued the orange ORECA’s progress after taking over driving duties and swiftly dispatched several key championship rivals. The rapid German got to within just 10-seconds of the leader at one stage. However, ultimately the G-Drive Racing team were able to only take advantage of two Full Course Yellow periods in the race as they were forced to run a different pit stop sequence compared to their rivals.

Rast handed the car over to Rusinov in a podium position and the Russian consolidated the position before a close fight ensued during the second half of the race for the runner-up spot. Rast trailed Filipe Albuquerque in the rival #43 Ligier by 30 seconds as he climbed aboard for his final stint with 90 minutes left.

A storming stint by Rast got him to within six seconds of his Portuguese rival, but with slower traffic and full-course yellows working against him, the German was unable to get any closer and reached the chequered flag in third.

The result moves G-Drive Racing, who also set the race’s fastest lap, up to third in the FIA Trophy for LMP2 Teams while Rast and Rusinov occupy third in the drivers’ championship. Brundle, contesting only his third race for the team in 2016, climbed four places to 15th.

The next round of the championship, the Six Hours of Fuji, Japan, takes place on 16 October, but G-Drive Racing return to action next weekend for the Four Hours of Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium as they continue to pursue the European Le Mans Series title with their #38 Gibson 015S-Nissan.

QUOTES

Roman Rusinov 
“In this circumstance of having to start from the back we finished third and it was not too bad. For sure it would be better to win but it was still a good result.

“We had some tough situations with the gearbox and brake issues in the last two races so it was nice for the team to get a podium. We know go to Fuji where I won last year so this is something I look forward to and to push for the victory.”

Rene Rast 
“The conditions were very tough with the temperature close to 100 degrees ambient. It was a real endurance test but I was happy with the way we performed and the pace in the car was very nice, I had fun out there. We had some frustrations over the weekend but we fought back well as a team and the spirit we have will, I am sure, mean that the first victory will come soon.”

Alex Brundle 
“The opening of the race was good and I managed to carve through the GT classes and a good proportion of the LMP2 field quickly. We just lost out in a couple of the FCY periods which hurt us at the end.

“A podium was a solid result but when we know that we have class winning potential. The conditions were brutal out there and my race boots felt as though they were melting out there. I’ve never experienced conditions like those before.” 

Sam Hignett, Partner – JOTA Sport
“It is nice to be back on the podium after the recent tough breaks we had. But we of course wanted to be on the top rung. It wasn’t possible today but we showed true fighting spirit coming from the back like that and Alex turned in a fine opening stint in very tough conditions.

“We were not able to capitalise on two of the Full Course Yellows due to being out of sequence on stops. This ultimately stopped us from challenging for the win. We know we are capable of taking a win with the pace of the car and the quality of the team, so we just have to be a little more patient for that first win of the year.”

Race Result & Points

LMP2 Race Result – Circuit of the Americas
 
1 Menezes/Lapierre/Richelmi    Signatech Alpine A460-Nissan
2 Senna/Albuquerque/Gonzalez      RGR Sport Ligier JS P2-Nissan
3 Brundle/Rast/Rusinov               G-Drive Racing ORECA 05-Nissan
4 Minassian/Mediani                      SMP Racing BR01-Nissan
5 Dalziel/Derani/Cumming           ESM Ligier JS P2-Nissan
6 Petrov/Ladygin/Shaitar              SMP Racing BR01-Nissan
 
2016 FIA Endurance Trophy for LMP2 Drivers – After six rounds
 
1 Signatech Alpine                           156
2 RGR Sport by Morand                  118
3 G-Drive Racing                              88
4 Extreme Speed Motorsports           84
5 Strakka Racing                                58
6 SMP Racing                                    58
 
2016 FIA Endurance Trophy for LMP2 Teams – After six rounds
 
1 Menezes/Lapierre/Richelmi           156
2 Senna/Albuquerque/Gonzalez       115
3 Rast/Rusinov                                  86
4 Cumming/Derani/Dalziel                   84
5 Kane/Leventis                                   58
6 Ladygin/Shaitar/Petrov                     52
15 Brundle                                          22

G-DRIVE RACING DENIED WEC VICTORY BY BRAKE FAILURE IN MEXICO

G-Drive Racing lost out on victory with a braking problem in the final hour of the 6 Hours of Mexico on Saturday.

The #26 G-Drive Racing ORECA 05-Nissan driven by Rene Rast, Alex Brundle and Roman Rusinov had a comfortable lead of more than 40 seconds with 35 minutes remaining when the right-front brake failed at turn five. The problem required a spell in the garage to make repairs and relegated the team to an unrepresentative eighth place finish on a day that had promised so much more. 

After teaming up with Rusinov to qualify fourth, Rast took the start and quickly moved past the #42 Strakka Racing Gibson and #36 Signatech-Alpine to hold second position in the opening stint.

Rast was one of only two drivers in the race to lap inside the 1m36s barrier and had closed to within a few seconds of the pole-sitting #43 RGR Sport by Morand Ligier when the race was interrupted by the day’s first full-course yellow period.

Slick pitwork by the Jota Sport-crewed G-Drive team meant Rusinov inherited the lead once the race returned to green. The Russian lapped consistently thereafter keep the RGR Ligier at bay for the duration of his fist stint, surviving contact with event promoter Ricardo Gonzalez on his in-lap before completing a second short stint and handing over to Brundle.

The next full-course yellow effectively handed Signatech a free pitstop and meant Brundle was demoted to second for his stint, however the long-awaited onset of rain brought the race firmly back into G-Drive Racing’s hands with two and a half hours remaining.

A perfectly-timed switch to the Dunlop intermediates helped Rast to build a lead of 22 seconds in the deteriorating conditions, before extending it still further after judging that the circuit had tried sufficiently for a return to slicks.

However, the spoils of victory were to desert G-Drive Racing with 25 minutes to go and despite managing to make the finish, they also lost third in the points standings to the #31 ESM Ligier. Rast and Rusinov currently sit fourth on 71 points, 59 off the lead with four rounds remaining.

G-Drive Racing will hope for better luck in two weeks’ time when they head to Austin, Texas, for the second leg of the FIA WEC’s American tour, the 6 hours of Circuit of the Americas (September 15-17).

QUOTES

Roman Rusinov
“I have experienced the problem in a Lamborgini in 2008, then in 2012 and in 2014 I had similar issues so we really need to change something (with the brakes) because I have had these issues with Brembo (brake supplier) before. 

“It is really disappointing and hard to take because we all did a great job up until that point and was in full control of the race. We have had incredibly bad luck so often this season. We will investigate exactly why the problem happened with the direct supplier.”

Rene Rast
"We had a perfect strategy, the team did everything right, made the right calls at the right moments, we weren’t as dominant as the races before, but we were leading the race by 40 seconds which was nice. The car was good to drive and we deserved better. We took a look at the brakes, the left one looks perfect the right one just broke even though they were running the same temperatures, so it wasn’t our problem it was simply a material failure.”

Alex Brundle

“Up until the last hour we were in control and deservedly so after a brilliant job by the team from a strategy and pit work point of view. I really feel for the guys in the team as they work so hard.

“It is only my second race with the team but I am really happy with the performances we have delivered so far. The results will come and these frustrations will just make us more determined to make sure they do as soon as possible and we will be very hungry to do that at COTA.”

Sam Hignett, Partner – JOTA Sport 
“I hate using the words ‘bad luck’ but this is getting ridiculous, [the car suffered] a complete disc failure, but on a positive we didn’t have the best car and yet we still managed the strategy and a great effort from the drivers to be 40 seconds up the road and in control of the race. The team were fantastic all weekend and another freak breakage on a part has cost us maximum points

G-DRIVE RACING STAY IN TITLE HUNT, DESPITE NURBURGRING FRUSTRATION

G-Drive Racing remain in the hunt for the FIA World Endurance Championship LMP2 title, despite suffering their first non-finish of the season at the 6 Hours of the Nurburgring in Germany on Sunday (July 24).

The #26 ORECA 05-Nissan, crewed by Rene Rast, Roman Rusinov and – for the first time – Alex Brundle – was fastest in every session over the weekend and held a commanding lead of the LMP2 class when a gearbox issue sent the car into the pits. Despite intense efforts by the G-Drive Racing team the car was retired in the fourth hour.

Rast, competing in front of his home crowd, made it a clean sweep of four class pole positions in four races for the G-Drive Racing car with lap three-quarters of a second faster than his nearest rival. He bagged a bonus championship point in the process.

The German then made a strong start to the race, holding the lead and building a large advantage during his opening 50-minute stint. Rast also set the fastest lap of the race with a 1m49.864s, just under one second clear of the opposition.

The G-Drive Racing ORECA-Nissan lost the lead at the first round of pitstops as Brundle relieved Rast of duties behind the wheel while rival teams gained time by choosing not to make their first driver changes until later on.

But Brundle’s fantastic pace brought him back into the class lead within 15 minutes of taking over and the Briton had built a comfortable advantage mid-way through a double-stint in the car.

Unfortunately, the ORECA developed a gearbox issue, which forced it into the pits half an hour ahead of the race’s midway point.

The G-Drive Racing team, who are run operationally by the JOTA Sport organisation, worked relentlessly to repair the unit, but in spite of their tremendous effort, the car had to be officially retired.

Despite the setback, G-Drive Racing lie third in the battle for the FIA Endurance Trophy for LMP2 Teams with four of the 2016 season’s nine races completed.

Rast and Rusinov hold third place in the Drivers’ Championship while Brundle got off the mark in 20th with his pole bonus.

The next round of the WEC, the Six Hours of Mexico, takes place on September 1-3, but G-Drive Racing will be back on August 26-28 as they run their Gibson 015S-Nissan in the fourth round of the European Le Mans Series at Circuit Paul Ricard in France.

Roman Rusinov:
“Obviously it is a big disappointment to be so quick, get pole position and conduct the pace of the class in the race yet come away with not finishing, but as they say this is racing sometimes.

“We will come back stronger again and the positive aspects are that we were clearly the fastest car and crew in LMP2 again. I am looking forward to Mexico now and to trying to make sure we can put the bad luck behind us.”

Alex Brundle:
“I went from the second to third upshift and something has given up in the gearbox. We thought it might be an electrical issue, we then went through the emergency modes but nothing worked. It is of course tough to take after such a great weekend up until then.

"The G-Drive Racing team was fantastic and the car was performing so well. If we continue like we did up until the issue stopped us then the season has a lot of positives ahead for us.”

Rene Rast:
“It was very hard to take seeing the car develop a problem like that after we had such a fantastic weekend here, even harder when it is at your home race. 

“The car felt good in the opening stint and I was able to get a reasonable gap to the rest. Again though we come away with not what we deserve, so it is frustrating. All we can do now is to focus on Mexico and make sure that we can concentrate on getting the maximum points there.”

Sam Hignett, Team Principal
“The pace of the car was superb this weekend. We were fastest in every session and clearly, on pace we were the team to beat for the opposition again. The gear ratio failure was just one of those things and in hindsight there was nothing we could have done differently to prevent it from occurring.

“Overall it was a great job by the whole team and all three drivers were brilliant. A special mention to Alex (Brundle) in his first race because he was great on his first run with the team.”
 

Race Result & Points

LMP2 Race Result – Nurburgring
1   Menezes/Lapierre/Richelmi                 Signatech Alpine A460-Nissan
2   Gonzalez/Albuquerque/Senna            RGR Sport by Morand Ligier-Nissan
3   Dalziel/Derani/Cumming                      Extreme Speed Motorsports Ligier-Nissan
4   Leventis/Kane/Williamson                   Strakka Racing Gibson 015S-Nissan
5   Graves/Pizzonia/Howson                     Manor ORECA 05-Nissan
6   Petrov/Ladygin/Shaitar                        SMP Racing BR01-Nissan
 
DNF Rusinov/Rast/Brundle                   G-Drive Racing ORECA 05-Nissan
 
2016 FIA Endurance Trophy for LMP2 Drivers – After Four Rounds
1 Menezes/Lapierre/Richelmi                    112pts
2 Senna/Albuquerque/Gonzalez                  71pts
3 Rast/Rusinov                                           65pts
4 Cumming/Derani/Dalziel                           59pts    
6 Shaitar/Petrov/Ladygin                              44pts
 
2016 FIA Endurance Trophy for LMP2 Teams – After Four Rounds
1 Signatech Alpine                                        112pts
2 RGR Sport by Morand                                 74pts
3 G-Drive Racing                                           67pts
4 Extreme Speed Motorsports                        59pts
5 SMP Racing                                                 50pts
6 Strakka Racing                                             46pts
 

CHARGING PERFORMANCE AT RED BULL RING FOR CHAMPIONSHIP LEADERS

G-Drive Racing maintained their championship-leading position in the European Le Mans Series as they twice charged back from misfortune to secure a podium finish at the Red Bull Ring in Austria on Sunday (Jul 17).

The #38 Gibson 015S-Nissan, crewed by Simon Dolan, Harry Tincknell and Giedo van der Garde, started and finished third in a dramatic four-hour race in which fortunes changed throughout.

Van der Garde started the car, which had been qualified an excellent third by Tincknell, but was just two laps into the race when he was forced into the pits after suffering a slow left-front puncture.

The lost time dropped him to 16^th place, but the Dutchman carved his way through the field and set the race’s fastest lap to make it up to seventh by the end of his stint.

Dolan, who took over the car from van der Garde after an hour, continued the charge as the Briton reached fourth spot during his 90-minute double stint.

Tincknell climbed in with 80 minutes remaining, re-joining the circuit more than half a minute away from a podium position. It took him just 30 minutes to move up to third and another three to climb a further spot.

The Briton exited the pits after his final scheduled fuel stop with 45 minutes remaining, but his hopes of chasing down victory were ended just one corner later when a slow backmarker made a mistake and spun into Tincknell while being lapped.

The damage to the Gibson-Nissan meant another unscheduled trip to the pits to have a section of front bodywork replaced. But some sensational work from the G-Drive team, which is run operationally by JOTA Sport, got Tincknell back on-track with a loss of only one position.

The third-place finish ensured that G-Drive Racing maintained their 100 per cent record of podium finishes in the ELMS in 2016 – adding to their victory at Silverstone and second place at Imola.

The team maintained the lead of the LMP2 Teams’ Championship; seven points clear of their nearest rival. Dolan, Ticknell and van der Garde remain on top of the Drivers’ Championship; the trio ahead by the same number of points.

G-Drive Racing are in action next weekend (July 22-24) at the latest round of the FIA World Endurance Championship at the Nurburgring in Germany. The next ELMS round is at Circuit Paul Ricard in France on August 26-28 

Simon Dolan:
“It’s very frustrating to have a race like this, but I think everyone in the team, from the drivers to the pit crew, have done an absolutely terrific job in the circumstances, especially as the Gibson isn’t the quickest of the LMP2 chassis any more. We had a puncture early on, recovered extremely well to second place and then Harry’s had such terrible luck with a backmarker making the mistake just when he was alongside and hitting him. The crew in the pits did an amazing job of minimising the time loss in the pits and we’ve managed to still take some good points as a result. I believe that bad luck evens itself out over the year, so I hope our bad luck is done for 2016.”

Giedo van der Garde: 
“We looked very strong all weekend and Harry did a good job in qualifying to place P3. The start was great and I was immediately in to P2 and had a battle with (Tristan) Gommendy. We swapped places and then I was about to get him back as we went to turn three, but he just kept coming right, not giving me any room and he touched me quite hard. This seemed to give me a lot of understeer on right-hand corners and the pace dropped away. Soon we found we had a puncture on the left front and we had to change the wheel.

“After that I went flat-out and made good progress and we were the quickest. Simon and then Harry did really good double stints and then we had the issue with the guy who spun in front of him.

“P3 wasn’t the result we were looking for because the speed we had for sure have fought for the win, but it just wasn’t our lucky day but the good news is we are still leading the championship.”

Harry Tincknell:
“My stint was good and I was able to catch and pass Colletti and de Brujn from quite far back with two nice moves on the brakes into T2. Then on the second stint I exited the pits behind the Pegasus car. He went a bit wide into T2 and I took the normal line to overtake. Then suddenly he spun the wheels on the exit and came right across the front of me and I had nowhere to go and hit him head on. It broke the front left fender and damaged the splitter so I had to pit for repairs and dropped back down to P3.

“Third place was good also considering the puncture early on for Giedo. The team did an excellent job to recalculate strategy and were fantastic in the pit stops.”

David Clark, Partner – JOTA Sport
“It was a very impressive performance by the team after two hits of bad luck out there today. To come back, first from the puncture, and then the incident with the back marker was a huge achievement. We were the quickest car on track at several stages of the race and came away with fastest lap too which is very satisfying. All three drivers were terrific today.

“More good and hard-earned points for the title quest mean we go to the next race at Paul Ricard with more confidence that we can beat the opposition, which let us not forget have much newer packages.”

Race Results & Points

LMP2/overall Race Result – Red Bull Ring

1 Thiriet/Beche/Hirakawa                        Thiriet by TDS ORECA 05-Nissan
2 Gommendy/Junjin/de Pruijn                 Eurasia Motorsport ORECA 05-Nissan
3 Dolan/Tincknell/van der Garde          G-Drive Racing Gibson 015S-Nissan
4 Coletti/Leal/Wirth                                  SMP Racing BR01-Nissan
5 Munemann/Pizzitola/Hirschi                 Algarve Pro Racing Ligier JS P2-Nissan
6 Rojas/Canal/Berthon                            Greaves Motorsport Ligier JS P2-Nissan
 
2016 European Le Mans Series for LMP2 drivers

1 Tincknell/Dolan/Van der Garde            58
2 Thiriet/Hirakawa/Beche                           51
3 Leal/Coletti                                              42
4 Gommendy/de Bruijn/Junjin                    28
5 Wirth                                                        24
6 Johnsson                                                 22
 
European Le Mans Series LMP2 Teams’ Championship

1 G-Drive Racing              58
2 Thiriet by TDS Racing     51
3 SMP Racing                    42
4 Eurasia Motorsport          28
5 Krohn Racing                   22
6 Dragonspeed                   16
 

Please credit Jakob Ebrey Photography for image use.

ALEX BRUNDLE JOINS G-DRIVE RACING FOR FIA WEC CAMPAIGN

G-Drive Racing is delighted to announce today the signing of Alex Brundle to join the team’s FIA World Endurance Championship campaign in the No.26 ORECA 05-Nissan.

Brundle will join G-Drive Racing for the 6 Hours of Nürburgring next month and complete the remainder of the season in the LMP2 class with the Russian entered team.

With extensive experience in endurance racing, Brundle is one of the UK’s most accomplished young talents in sportscar competition. The 25 year-old has carved out an excellent reputation in LMP2 over the last few seasons.

A versatile and talented driver, Brundle finished second in the 2013 FIA WEC LMP2 class and also at that year’s Le Mans 24 Hours. A year later Brundle and his Oak Racing teammates lead most of the LMP2 class at Le Mans but were denied by a late technical problem.

After a brief break from racing in the first half of 2015, Brundle returned with a superb performance at the 6 Hours of Shanghai, where he led the LMP2 class in wet conditions.
 

Alex Brundle G-Drive Racing FIA WEC driver
"I'm delighted to be driving for G-Drive Racing in the final 6 races of the FIA WEC, especially with the incredibly strong package that the team has put together for this season.”

“The Nürburgring event can't come soon enough and it's fantastic to be re-joining this global series, representing my long term sponsors Richard Mille.”

“It will be a real privilege to work with the team, who have proven it to be one of the best endurance outfits worldwide. With the massive experience of Rene and the pace of Roman I think we will make a potent combination, to deliver strong results for the remainder of the season.”

Sam Hignett, Director JOTA Sport
"“We are very happy to welcome Alex to the team. His attributes as a top endurance performer have been known to the team for some time, and he is clearly one of the UK’s best up and coming sportscar drivers. We are delighted to have him in the team and believe that he is a major prospect for the future.”

 

Please credit Jakob Ebrey Photography for image use.

G-DRIVE RACING TAKES STRONG SECOND PLACE AT 2016 LE MANS 24 HOURS

G-Drive Racing celebrated an excellent second place in a typically gruelling Le Mans 24 Hours last weekend.

Roman Rusinov, Rene Rast and Will Stevens finished the world’s greatest and toughest race in seventh position overall, after a stellar effort in the G-Drive Racing ORECA 05-Nissan.

The race began under difficult conditions when a rain storm drenched the circuit and ensured a Safety Car start for the record 60-car grid. Rast led away from the LMP2 pole position and controlled the first stint, but the infamous cruelty of Le Mans soon manifested itself in the shape of a puncture, relegating the No.26 car down the order.

Throughout the early evening and night the No.26 G-Drive Racing ORECA fought back in to the lead group, with each of the three drivers completing excellent and flawless stints at the wheel.

A drive-through penalty and then a stop/go for a slow zone procedure issue also lost some time but the team never gave up on its quest for victory and pushed hard right until the chequered flag.

The result means that the #26 car took 19 valuable FIA WEC points promoting Rast and Rusinov to second position in the LMP2 standings. It was also the third consecutive year that JOTA Sport, the operational arm of the G-Drive Racing team have been on the Le Mans LMP2 podium, as they won in 2014 and placed second last year.

Rast also set the fastest LMP2 lap of the race during one of his remarkable long stints, as he and teammates Stevens and Rusinov challenged the eventual class winners – Signatech Alpine.

The G-Drive Racing No.38 entry was forced to retire in the morning, just after 10am, after it was hit by the LMGTE AM Aston Martin and sent in to an accident at the final chicane. It was a cruel blow for the car which had enjoyed a trouble-free run through the first 15 hours of the race.

The Simon Dolan, Giedo van der Garde and Jake Dennis crewed Gibson 015S-Nissan was in contention to join the #26 car on the podium after a well-judged race. But despite attempts to repair the car, the diligent G-Drive Racing crew could not complete suitable repairs in time, and the car was forced to retire on safety grounds after damage to the fuel system was discovered.

As well as the pole position, fastest lap and second place, the G-Drive Racing team spent less time than any of its rivals in the pits. In addition, both cars didn’t have a single mechanical problem throughout the race, again emphasising the quality and professionalism of the G-Drive Racing squad.

The next race on the schedule for the team is the third round of the European Le Mans Series at Red Bull Ring next month. The fourth round of the FIA WEC takes place at Nurburgring on 24^th July.

QUOTES

Roman Rusinov, No.26 G-Drive ORECA-Nissan
“We tried to win but at Le Mans it hurts you like nowhere else when you get small things such as a puncture like we did. On the plus side we were quick and we were always in contention. We were also a little unlucky with some of the slow zones and the safety car too, but this is all part of it.

“For the points we have lost some to them (Signatech Alpine) but there is a long way to go in this season and we are very motivated and focused to start winning at Nurburgring next month.”

Rene Rast, No.26 G-Drive Racing ORECA-Nissan
“The pace was tremendous and I felt really good in the car but at Le Mans, even if one small thing goes against you, then you have no chance to win. So we went back a bit with the puncture and the penalties. When another car doesn’t have any issues it is tough and you have to play catch-up a bit.”

Will Stevens, No.26 G-Drive Racing ORECA-Nissan
“It was my first time at Le Mans and my first time with G-Drive Racing, and I had to learn quickly but knowing the car from my Manor races so far, it was ok.

“We showed good pace all week with pole, fastest lap and showing we could really challenge, but it wasn’t to be this year, despite us being the quickest car and being able to control the pace at stages. We took some risks after the early issues but it just didn’t quite pay off.”

Giedo van der Garde, No.38 G-Drive Racing Gibson-Nissan
“We were in line for a podium but we were taken out by a GTE AM car and really it just shows how cruel this race can be. It was unbelievable experience at my first Le Mans, racing in the dark, rain, sun, at dawn, etc. The team and my team mates  were fantastic throughout but it was an unlucky break that saw us retire. But, I’ll return, and I am determined to be on that famous Le Mans podium.”

Sam Hignett, JOTA Group Director
“As a new two-car operation there were a lot of huge positives from this result at Le Mans. It continues the trend of us being on the podium every year since 2014, and although we were denied two cars up there by an accident out of our control, we come away with healthy points in the WEC and a lot of positive experience for future campaigns too.

“All of our drivers were terrific this week. In the #38 car Giedo was super quick and proved himself immediately at Le Mans; Jake was a star and has shown he is a really hot prospect and Simon had another great run here. We have a lot to look forward to, and be positive about, in the remaining FIA WEC and ELMS races.”

Gary Holland, G-Drive Racing Team Manager
“From a performance and operational perspective it was a very successful weekend and as a team I think we can be really proud. We have presented ourselves well as a two-car squad here at Le Mans and it is nice to see us developing as a unit and getting solid results.”

Please credit Jakob Ebrey Photography for image use.

G-DRIVE RACING CLAIM POLE POSITION AT LE MANS 24 HOURS

G-Drive Racing took a clear LMP2 pole position at the Le Mans 24 Hours last night with the No.26 ORECA-Nissan of Rene Rast, Roman Rusinov and Will Stevens setting the ultimate pace.

It was the third consecutive pole for G-Drive Racing in the 2016 FIA World Endurance Championship and earned another point in its quest for the championship.

Rene Rast was again the star of the LMP2 category which has a record 23 car field this year. Rast set the quickest time of 3m36.605s on Wednesday evening after a brilliant lap in the G-Drive Racing ORECA 05-Nissan.

In fact, Rast set two times which would have been good enough for the pole during the qualifying sessions to ensure the No.36 was never really challenged. Rene’s best lap was 0.5s ahead of the nearest LMP2 opposition to guarantee the best possible start to one of the world’s most gruelling and famous races.

Both the reigning FIA WEC LMP2 champion, Roman Rusinov, and the G-Drive Racing team’s new recruit for Le Mans, Will Stevens, contributed vital set-up work in readiness for the big race this Saturday.

G-Drive Racing’s other entry, the No.38 Gibson 015S-Nissan of Giedo van der Garde, Jake Dennis and Simon Dolan will start from 12^th position in class this Saturday.

The 2014 Le Mans winning car completed its planned programme during the practice sessions but like many entries was thwarted from any significant progress due to a succession of heavy rain showers that hit the track on Thursday evening.

All three of the No.38 drivers completed solid preparatory laps during the running, including Jake Dennis, who celebrated his 21^st birthday on Thursday. The young British star has shown himself to be one of the standout rookies at Le Mans so far this year.

After a successful start to the 2016 Le Mans 24 Hours, the G-Drive Racing squad now readies itself for the race which is scheduled to start at 15.00 local time on Saturdayafternoon.

Quotes

René Rast - No.26 G-Drive Racing ORECA-Nissan
“The quick laps I did were good ones but it is hard to tell how much quicker we could have gone because of the weather. I am satisfied we are on pole position so we have the best possible start for the beginning of the race. The G-Drive Racing team was excellent again and it is nice to show what we can do, but the big test comes this weekend.”

Roman Rusinov - No.26 G-Drive Racing ORECA-Nissan
“It was a great team effort to secure the pole position. Rene showed he was in a different class with those times and we are all really proud and happy. But of course this is a very small part of what we have to achieve. We know there will be some very strong competition, but so far we have shown good pace and consistency, so we enter the race with additional confidence.”

Jake Dennis - No.38 G-Drive  Racing Gibson-Nissan
“It was really hard for all of us to get a true clear lap out there, especially when the conditions were at their best in qualifying but we went through our programme and we are confident we have a strong car for the race.

“For me personally it has been an amazing experience so far with G-Drive Racing. The level of preparation and organisation for this race is incredible from the team. I did my first night stint on Wednesday and I felt good right away. Giedo (van der Garde), Simon (Dolan) and I have formed a nice team and we enter the race in a really good frame of mind.”

Gary Holland - Team Manager, G-Drive Racing
“I think it is a measure of Rene as a driver what he achieved again here in qualifying. We would like to again thank Audi for loaning him to us.

“We are very happy with pole position, but as we know it is only a very small percentage of getting the job here done. We will now re-group and concentrate on the race. It is another point for us so we are pleased with that. All the drivers in the No.26 G-Drive car had a hand in the set-up so thanks to them for a great job as well.

“It has been a positive week for us so far, so we are looking forward to carrying this momentum through in to this very tough race.”

Please credit Jakob Ebrey Photography for image use.