For the first time since 1996, international sportscar racing is back at Brands Hatch in Kent this weekend, with the Sprint Series.
As at the first round at Nogaro a few weeks ago, there’s a list of 20 GT3 cars on the grid in the three categories. However, there has been a a series of changes up and down the paddock:
This weekend will see the debut of a Porsche team in the newly named Sprint Series. German stalwarts Farnbacher Racing will be competing with Brit Nick Tandy and Philip Frommenwiler from Switzerland in the #89 997 GT3 R.
Farnbacher’s entry will be in place of the second Fortec Motorsport Mercedes SLS – the #63 which had Miguel Toril and Nico Bastian behind the wheel in France. The accident damage from qualifying at Nogaro was too heavy to get the car ready for this round.
Toril will be at the event however, running in Benjamin Hetherington’s place in the sister #62 car, leaving just he and Armaan Ebrahim flying the Fortec flag at their home race.
“I think that’s just for this weekend [having one car],” Ebrahim told DSC. “After the accident at Nogaro we are glad to have even just this car for this round.
“We should be ok even with the driver pairing change. Me and Miguel know the team, we just have to get caught up with our seat fittings and pit stop practice. We should be fine for the weekend. [Before deciding on a permanent swap] I will see what the team says after the races.”
Another driver swap this weekend comes in the form of Roman Rusinov taking over from Grégory Guilvert in the #3 G-Drive Racing Audi R8. The ever-competitive Russian will be hoping to build on the team’s great results at Nogaro – where they finished 4th in the Qualifying Race a 2nd in the Main Race.
“I think we are in good stead. We have a good car and I have a good teammate in Stéphane [Ortelli]. We finished second in Nogaro, and we will try to win here. The R8 suits this track.” said Rusinov.
“Normally this would be a full season deal, but when I have clashes with the WEC, that takes priority. When there are no clashes, I am here.”
The second BMW Sports Trophy Team Brasil Z4, which had the Brazilian duo of Matheus Dall’Agnol Stumpf and ex-F1 driver Nelson Piquet Jr at the wheel will also see some alterations this time out. The car, which ran #21 last time out, has been changed to #30, and Piquet Jr, due to other commitments, has been substituted by another Brazilian – Valdeno Brito Filho.
And finally, the ever-present Czech veteran Tomas Enge is involved in trading places this weekend, but actually changing team.
Grasser Racing drafted him at short notice to take the place of the injured Martin Matzke at Nogaro. Now Enge is back to his usual duties with Reiter and will be in the #88 Reiter Racing Lambo in place of Peter Kox. Austrian Stefan Landmann will be taking Matzke’s role for Grasser alongside Sascha Halek.
Stephen Kilbey
