After an impressive debut during the opening two rounds of the Australian Formula 3 Championship, Erebus Academy driver Jack Le Brocq will step into the Clipsal 500 pole-sitting Erebus Motorsport Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3 for round three of the Australian GT Championship presented by Pirelli at Phillip Island this weekend.

The reigning Australian Formula Ford champion tested the car at Winton last week, and Barry Ryan, Erebus Motorsport’s General Manager-Motorsport admitted that he was very impressed with the young Victorian’s mature approach, and his speed.

“To be honest, I felt that a driver of his calibre and experience should have been quick, but you never know,” Ryan explained. “It takes a cool head to get into these cars and be quick, but after 30-laps he was right on lap record pace, and he didn’t put a foot wrong, which is exactly what we were looking for.”

Whilst part of the Erebus Academy program, Le Brocq didn’t expect his progression to the SLS AMG GT3 Customer Sports entry to come so soon, although he did admit that it was always a part of his bigger picture.

“At the start of the year I didn’t expect to have my backside in what is one of the best GT cars in the world,” Jack admitted. “When I started with the Erebus Academy it was in the back of my mind, but I thought maybe at the end of the year or perhaps next year.

“It all came about through a discussion with the team, and the timing was right. I’ve bought a budget with me, with assistance from the likes of DynoTech by Dyno Dynamics, and Erebus have provided their support as well through the Academy program with commercial and media support – and through the support of some of their existing partners. In the end it was a pretty logical next step.”

“Despite the fact that we’ve progressed Jack through to the GT program, we’re still focused on the Formula 3 project as well,” Ryan was quick to point out. “It is still potentially a big part of the Erebus Academy, and we have drivers we’re talking to about filling that seat for the next round in Darwin, so don’t expect that will change. As for our GT program, that is reliant – as with any race team – on having a budget available, and in Jack’s case, he bought his budget with him, and that facilitated the progression in his development through the Academy, which is exactly what the program is about.”

So how did a state-of-the-art German built GT3 car compare to Le Brocq’s previous experiences behind the wheel?

“It was really good. It was pretty much what I expected – the car has a lot of straight line speed and good aero grip, obviously not as good as the Formula 3 car, but still very good. Like the F3 car though it’s about driving smoothly – that’s where the speed is. I was rapt with my pace, and after the four sessions we were running at a pace that was well within reach of the lap record, so I think we have every opportunity to mix it with the leaders and go after the win next weekend.”

Jack Le Brocq and the Erebus Academy enjoy combined support from Fuchs, KooGa, Kings Apparel, Snap On, Wrap My Ride, DynoTech by Dyno Dynamics, Sensorsafe Electrical, JHB Shop Fitters and Signature Series Group.

Source : Asutralian GT