Here’s the first of a number of pieces featuring (almost) all of the teams present this week at Paul Ricard for the Official Pre-season tests for the Blancpain Endurance Series.
Part one deals with the two teams that have plans to campaign the new McLaren 650S GT3
Von Ryan Racing, McLaren 650S GT3
The Von Ryan Racing team have a single, virgin white, McLaren 650S GT3 at the Test, with McLaren GT assistance whilst much of the von Ryan crew is testing today at Silverstone with their British GT team cars but will enter a pair of Pro class cars in the full Blancpain Endurance Series.
It’s fair to say that the driver squads are likely to be highly competitive!
The first car has Bruno Senna and Kevin Estre aboard for the season whilst the second is set to have Alvaro Parente and new signing Adrian Quaife Hobbs. DSC expects to see two other McLaren GT factory men also confirmed for at least a part season apiece.
With only one car available the crews are attending on consecutive days, Senna and Estre today, Parente and Quaife Hobbs tomorrow.
There might well be a further von Ryan Racing programme in Blancpain GT to be confirmed in the coming days.
Attempto Racing, Porsche 911 GT3-R
The team have a pair of plain metallic blue Porches here but that isn’t the real core plan for this Series.
The Porsches are here for a Gentleman driver client for the new SRO Club Sport Series, the team intending to contest at least the first three races in that Series with the Porsches.
Next Monday though the team will decamp to Estoril where they will pick up the first of pair of McLaren 650S GT3s bound for the Blancpain Sprint Series.
“Our current plan is one car in Pro-Am and the other as an all gentleman car,” said Team Administrator Nancy Kahnt.
“The second car is to be collected on the 27 March. We have been with Porsche for a long time with big success in one make and GT racing, always with a 911, but now, in this Series I’m afraid that the current Porsche cannot really compete, especially when you put a Pro Driver aboard. The McLaren is a much more competitive car right now.
At Estoril we will have a shoot-out with 6-8 drivers and very soon after that we will announce our final season plans.”
GG
