The first round of the 2014 Blancpain Sprint Series at Nogaro happened to be Daniel Lloyd’s Blancpain, Bhai Tech, GT3 and Nogaro debut all-in-one weekend – making him a perfect candidate for a chat between sessions at Brands Hatch about his new experiences.
Up and coming, and eager to progress; the 22-year-old has had a lot to learn in a small amount of time. After six years of bouncing around in Porsche Carrera Cup, Clio Cup (winning the 2009 GB winter series) and Ginettas amongst other things, he has finally taken a plunge into international GT racing.
“It’s definitely a step up for me [racing with Bhai Tech]. But it is a step that I wanted to take; over the winter I talked to a lot of teams, it was a very tough winter which took around 5-6 months to get any deal sorted. I only signed a contract a week and a half before the first race [at Nogaro],” he told DSC.
“It was a case of quickly going to Italy to test the car, doing a good job – which I did – then having another good test at Paul Ricard – which I did. It just went from there, it was a really late deal, but it all came together well.”
His first race weekend at Nogaro wasn’t plain sailing, finishing 16th in the qualifying race and 14th in the main race. But he couldn’t expect too much, especially as the team around him were new to the series too.
“The first round at Nogaro was a really challenging weekend,” confessed Lloyd. “It was hard for not just me, but for everyone, the drivers, the team, as it was the first time we have run on Pirellis. The team [Bhai Tech] have lots of experience, last year they won the GT Open in the McLaren – but that was on Dunlops. So there is a lot to learn.
“The circuit was new to me, and the car was relatively new to me too. I had only done a couple of tests with it beforehand, so it was a very tough weekend, I am not going to lie. We hope to do better here this weekend, we want better results – the whole team does. We have been working hard since the last round, so we are just hoping it will reflect that this weekend.”
It’s no secret that it’s no easy task to jump from a Porsche Carrera to a GT3 car, but nevertheless it was still a shock to the system for Lloyd as he quickly got to grips with the new machinery he would be using in the run up to Nogaro:
“It’s completely different, I was surprised, but it is because of everything you can change with the car whereas in Carrera Cup you can’t change much with the setup. Your dampers, your springs, you can change all sorts in these GT3 cars,” said Lloyd.
“And then of course you have all the assists. To start with, it feels like you are cheating, and that it’s easier to drive, but it is actually hard in the end. You need to use the ABS properly and the traction control properly. It’s about getting all the different settings right to get the most out of the car.”
Getting used to a new format at a race weekend is also something for Lloyd to get use to. Prior to Nogaro he had only competed in a one-off British GT race in a Ginetta G50, four years ago, so driver changes and pit stops are still a little alien to him.
Nevertheless he assures DSC he is ready:
“I think it is more interesting [racing in GTs]. You have a lot more to think about as a driver. It opens a gap up a bit, because in Carrera Cup, it’s such a tough series, and you have to look for hundredths in qualifying, everyone has got lots of running time. Here you are challenged over how much track time you have got, who’s using what tyres – it’s nice to have that challenge.”
“It’s really nice to come to a circuit that I know really well. I have been racing on the GP circuit since my days in Ginetta Junior. So my running has actually been kept down to a minimum so I can let my teammate [Sten Pentus] have plenty of track time. He has never been on the GP circuit before!
“Balancing his needs is something I have to deal with,” added Lloyd. “It’s not just about me anymore! I have to think about my team and teammate.”
So what about Daniel Lloyd’s future on the GT scene? He certainly has this year mapped out well:
“I’m doing the full Sprint Series, but also the Spa 24 Hours and Silverstone 3 Hours with Beechdean Aston Martin,” said Lloyd. “That’s a fantastic opportunity to showcase what I can do. My ultimate goal is to get a factory drive.
“I have had one test day at Rockingham [In the Vantage]. A very low amount of miles, but it went really well. I jumped in, felt comfortable and straight away was running at a similar pace to Johnny Adam, which was great.
“So the first major test day for me I suppose will be at Silverstone. The Spa 24 Hours should be awesome, I am teamed up with Stefan Mücke, Johnny Adam and Andrew Howard in the Pro-Am class. It looks like a really good line-up.
“[Spa] will be my first 24 hour race, and I’m teamed up with two factory drivers! Stefan put it on pole last year and everyone rates him as one of the best GT drivers in the world, so just to look at his data and learn a few things from him should be great. It’ll be a really exciting weekend.”
This year seems to be all about new experiences for Daniel Lloyd, as he finds his feet in the upper echelons of the sport. And just to top it off, will the Spa 24 also be his first time racing at night too? You bet!
“Yeah, I have never driven at night before, so no pressure,” admits Lloyd.
“I can’t wait!”
Stephen Kilbey
