The Marc VDS Racing Team had little time to celebrate their debut win in the Blancpain Endurance Series at Magny-Cours last weekend, heading instead for the People’s Republic of China and the eighth round of the FIA GT1 World Championship at the Ordos International Circuit in Inner Mongolia.
The 3.75km Ordos circuit, located around 475km west of the capital Beijing, was only completed last year but promises to provide an exciting challenge to the GT1 teams on their first visit to China.
The Marc VDS Racing Team’s Ford GT should be well suited to the circuit’s mix of high-speed sweepers and tight, technical turns but the long main straight could prove challenging for the car with the smallest engine in the championship.
Maxime Martin and Frédéric Makowiecki have taken two qualifying race wins already this season in the #41 Ford GT but, so far, victory in the all important championship race has eluded them. The Marc VDS duo will be looking to rectify the situation before the end of the season, starting this weekend in Ordos.
The bad luck that has plagued Bas Leinders and Marc Hennerici all season struck again last time out in Paul Ricard, with the #40 Ford GT forced to retire from the qualifying race and then damaged in a collision during the early stages of the championship race. Both Leinders and Hennerici are hoping for better luck in China, where they are determined to secure their first podium finish of the season.
Marc Hennerici: Ford GT #40
“I am looking forward to racing in China, it will be a good experience I think. I have been a few times to Macau and I found the Chinese people to be very enthusiastic supporters of motorsport. Our objective this weekend is pretty clear; we need to secure our first podium of the season. Last year I finished on the podium four times, so it’s not an unrealistic goal. If we can avoid the bad luck that has dogged us since the beginning of the year then there’s no reason why we can’t finally get that podium finish this weekend at Ordos. That is our aim, anyway.”
Maxime Martin: Ford GT #41
“Paul Ricard was a difficult race, as it was almost impossible for us to compete against the faster cars on a circuit with such a long straight. I think the Ordos circuit will suit our car better, despite the fact that it also features a fairly long straight, but we won’t really know until first practice on Friday. We’ve had wins this year in the qualifying races, but things haven’t always gone our way in the championship races. Hopefully we can rectify the situation with a win this weekend as, with just three races left in the championship, time is running out for us.”
Jean-Michel Delporte: Team Manager
“This is our first visit to China and to the Ordos circuit, so it’s difficult to know what to expect this weekend. We arrive here off the back of a win in the Blancpain Endurance Series, so confidence is high, but we won’t know until the first practice session on Friday whether this is a circuit that will suit our Ford GT. On paper the track looks fairly good for us, but the long straight is a concern. You come onto the straight from a tight hairpin and, as we saw at Paul Ricard, we lack the acceleration and outright top speed of our rivals. But, as always, we will be pushing hard and it would be good to secure our first championship race win here at Ordos this weekend, in front of what promises to be an enthusiastic Chinese crowd.”
Source : Marc VDS Racing Team