19-year-old South African ADAC German GT Masters race winner Jordan Pepper has been chosen as one of the Bentley Boys for the 2016 ADAC GT Masters series.
Bentley Team ABT Monday confirmed Pepper as one of its six drivers set to drive three Continental GT3 racers amongst a grid of 30 cars from eight manufacturers in the leading international series.
Jordan will chase overall and Junior honours alongside 43-year-old defending ADAC GT3 Gentleman’s champion Andreas Weishaupt in the #9 Bentley Continental GT, while Le Mans-winning Briton Guy Smith shares the #8 car with Fabian Hamprecht and Formula E racer Daniel Abt and Christer Jöns will drive the #7 machine.
“I’m really excited to make the change to the factory Bentley Abt Team for 2016 after a very tough but promising first year in the 2015 ADAC GT Masters,” Jordan admitted. “I am thankful that the team has seen promise in me, this is my second year in GT Racing and I will have a better understanding of what to expect.”
“The car is truly phenomenal, I felt really comfortable after I drove it for the first time,” Jordan, a former Volkswagen Scirocco R-Cup winner explained. “I had really good feedback from the new Bentley Continental GT3, especially at the limit, which is something you need as a driver.
“Obviously it’s quite different from what I’m used to, but with a few more laps, I am positive we will be strong and competitive.”
2016’s tenth ADAC GT Masters will see 20 teams entering 34 supercars in races through Germany, Austria and the Netherlands starting at Oscherslieben next weekend 15-17 April. There the Bentley Boys will face GT3 racing rivals the likes of the new Audi R8, BMW M6, Corvette C7, Lamborghini Huracán, Mercedes-AMG GT, Nissan GT-R and Porsche 911s fielded by 20 teams in a 34-car grid.
“The ADAC GT Masters field is definitely going to be one of or if not the most competitive GT3 sprint series around the world this year,” Jordan Pepper pointed out. ”This year I am partnering reigning ADAC GT Masters Gentleman Champion Andreas Weishaupt, so obviously the goal is to help Andreas defend his title and to be as competitive as we possibly can.”
