The Ecurie Ecosse Blancpain Endurance Series (BES) team has confirmed that it will skip this year’s Spa 24 Hours with its Barwell Motorsport-run BMW Z4 GT3.

The legendary Scottish outfit has returned to full-time international sportscar racing this season, with a one-car entry in both the British GT Championship and the Blancpain Series’ 3-Hour races, but its attendance at the Spa 24 Hours was dependent on additional funding being sourced which unfortunately has not been available. Ecurie Ecosse will return to the BES after Spa for the remaining 3-Hour events at Nurburgring and Navarra, with a driver line-up of Joe Twyman, Andrew Smith and Ollie Millroy. Meanwhile its British GT drivers, Alasdair McCaig and Oliver Bryant, are currently lying in fourth place in the domestic Championship with one race victory already under their belt and three rounds remaining.

Ecurie Ecosse plans to expand its programme with Barwell in 2013 to a multiple-car entry in the British GT Championship, and is also targeting entries into next year’s Spa 24 Hours event. The team made its return to the international stage at Spa in 2011 aboard a Barwell Motorsport-run Aston Martin DBRS9, claiming 20th overall and 9th in Pro-Am class.

Ecurie Ecosse Driver, Andrew Smith, commented; “For us 2012 was always going to be about building relationships with our partners including Barwell, our sponsors and BMW Motorsport. It is a shame not to be at Spa this year, but equally it allows us to focus on our British GT campaign and the remaining Blancpain 3 hour events, and we hope to be making some exciting announcements about our plans for 2013 very shortly”.

Source : Ecurie Ecosse