By winning the second race in Portimão, the Belgian Audi Club Team WRT has achieved a more than successful debut in the European FIA GT3 Championship. Currently second in the drivers’ overall standings, Greg Franchi and Enzo Ide hope to continue on the good course in Silverstone. At the wheel of the team’s other Audi R8 LMS, Didier André will be associated with young German Tobias Neuser.
Silverstone : a mythical name for all true motorsports fans. The former military airport in Britain is now one of the best-known circuits in the world and the stage for the second round of the European FIA GT3 Championship on this forthcoming first weekend of June.
After winning the second race of the season-opener in Portimão, Grégory Franchi and Enzo Ide approach the second round as the runner-ups in the standings …but with great humility. «As a consequence of our win in Portugal, we will have to serve a 15-second handicap during the pit stop in Race 1», explains Enzo. « In a 60-minutes race, like the ones of the FIA GT3, this can certainly have an impact, and that’s why I think we will be in a much better position to make a good result in Race 2. Following our win in Portugal, we are clearly determined to go for another win. Greg and I constitute a homogeneous pair, we have a good car and the team is extremely professional… There is absolutely no reason why we couldn’t repeat some excellent results from now until the end of the season…” The mood is optimistic also for the second Audi R8 LMS of the Belgian squad. As from Silverstone onwards, 21-year-old German Tobias Neuser, a driver who has already quite some experience, notably on the Nürburgring’s Nordschleife, will be associated with Didier André, who collected a good sixth position in Race 2 at Portimão.
«I am anxious to be in Silverstone!», says emphatically Didier. «Taking into consideration that I was discovering the team, the car and the circuit, I think that the result in Portimão was not a bad one. It will be easier this time round, as the only unknown will be my new team mate, and I will be able to focus exclusively on my driving. I was short of mileage at the first round and know I can do much better. My experience is mostly with single-seaters and sportscars, which are very different from a GT. I know, for instance, I have to get better acquainted with the ABS and anti-skidding systems. But the more I drive the Audi R8, the more I like it. With regard to WRT, it is a very professional outfit and I am impressed to see how good the relationship between Audi Sport and its customer teams is. All this tells me that I have really done the good choice.”
While the success in Portimão has been duly celebrated, everybody at the Belgian Audi Club Team WRT is keeping his head cool. «The win in Portugal has to be credited, in the first place, to a good race strategy and to our drivers », tells Team-manger Vincent Vosse. «In terms of pure performance, we were one second per lap behind and we would have not been on the podium except for that safety-car period. Since then, the FIA has reviewed the balance of performance and it should now be less unfavorable to the Audi R8 LMS. We will see whether it will be enough… For the rest, I am delighted to welcome Tobias Neuser as a new member of our team. We will support him the best we can and I am sure he will be a perfect team mate for Didier André. »
Qualifying in Silverstone will be on Saturday morning, while the first race will start at 13:30 hours. Race 2 on Sunday will start at 11:45 hours (all in UK time).
Source : Belgian Audi Club