The Marc VDS Racing Team will arrive at the South of France with motivation to score good points after a disappointing start to the season. They will also do so with a slightly different driving up: #3 remains Maxime Martin, Yelmer Buurman and Bas Leinders but #4 sees Markus Palttala and Henri Moser team up with Andrea Piccini, as Nick Catsburg is unavailable due to injury.
The Blancpain Endurance Series has proved a tough test in 2013 so far for Marc VDS, as the team have seen small issues, bad luck and on track incidents scupper their chances of podium results. However, at a track where consistency earned them a strong podium position in 2012, the team are eager to score a large points haul in France. They have the resources in place to do that , with a tight knit operation that will continue to prepare to the highest standard.
However, the BMW Z4 GT3 is a car suited to sweeping turns and Paul Ricard has traditionally not suited the team thanks to a 1.2km straight. However, the Mistral is broken up by a chicane for this weekend’s event, good news for Marc VDS. The car’s cornering ability is fantastic, which means that the power balance on the car is harsh, leaving it a little breathless in a straightline. The team will have to overcome that to take a good result this weekend.
The race starts at 15:00 local time on Sunday and runs for three hours.
Bas Leinders, Team Principal : “We had a difficult start to the season, for sure. At the moment, each car has only scored once, and we’re yet to score podiums – that’s obviously disappointing. A lot of things have happened, and we’ve been a bit unlucky several times already, but we’re working hard to turn it around. We are competitive, the car is competitive. We’ve lacked a little bit of speed in qualifying but our race pace has been fantastic. We’ve shown podium speed, but everything has to fall in place to score the podium with so much good competition in this series.”
Yelmer Buurman, #3 BMW Z4 GT3 : “We’ve haven’t been that lucky this season. The championship is still not lost – it’s only five rounds but there’s extra points on offer at the big rounds so we won’t stop fighting until the last race for the best results. We just hope for more luck. At the 24 hours of Nürburgring we had a great race. We’ve been a bit unlucky in Blancpain Endurance Series. We got to Ricard, we had the BoP test there and we are using the chicane on the Mistral this weekend, which should help us a little. Looking back at last season, it started brilliantly for the team and then dipped – hopefully this year is the reverse!”
Andrea Piccini, #4 BMW Z4 GT3 : “Obviously I’m not happy to see Nick injured – I hope he’ll be well soon. For me, though, it’s a good opportunity to once more work with the team. At Nordschleife and in the testing I drove on VLN spec and tyres, which are a little different, but I’m sure I can adapt. I am very happy to be back in this championship, and with this team as well. I know the condition of the car is more difficult in Blancpain Endurance Series at the moment but we will push for a good result. I know my team mates well, and I’ve raced with Henri before – I’m just excited to be back.”
Source : Marc VDS Racing Team