ECURIE ECOSSE CONFIRMS 2014 PLANS

ECURIE ECOSSE GUNNING FOR BRITISH GT AND BLANCPAIN ENDURANCE SERIES CROWNS IN 2014

 

• Alexander Sims joins British GT line-up

• Black Bull Whisky extend long-term commercial agreement

 

 

Ecurie Ecosse powered by Black Bull will continue to fight on two fronts this season after confirming plans to run a 2014-spec BMW Z4 GT3 in both the Blancpain Endurance Series and Avon Tyres British GT Championship.

 

The legendary Scottish squad are looking to pick up where they left off in 2013 when Marco Attard and Olly Bryant finished third in the British GT standings, just four points shy of the title. With the latter moving over to the team’s Blancpain line-up, Ecurie Ecosse are delighted to welcome BMW Motorsport factory driver Alexander Sims into its fold. 

 

A former McLaren AUTOSPORT BRDC Award winner, the 25-year-old will be making his British GT debut alongside Attard, who enjoyed an incredibly strong season in the category last year.

 

Meanwhile, after also finishing third in last season’s European Le Mans Series GTC class, the outfit switches its continental attention to the Blancpain Endurance Series’ fiercely competitive Pro-Am category.

 

The core of last season’s driver roster remains however, with Alasdair McCaig and Andrew Smith accompanied by the incoming Bryant for all five rounds, while Ecurie Ecosse stalwart Joe Twyman joins the line-up for the blue riband 24 Hours of Spa.  

 

Once again Ecurie Ecosse can call on the support of numerous long-term partners in their respective title bids. For a fourth season Barwell Motorsport will oversee its on-track programmes, while this will be the third campaign featuring BMW Motorsport’s involvement. And after their first year together in 2013, the team is delighted to announce an extended long-term commercial partnership with Black Bull Whisky that will see it run under the Ecurie Ecosse powered by Black Bull banner.

 

In addition, Ecurie Ecosse can also count on continued backing from John Clark Motor Group, Cotton Tree, Ragus, and The Calais Wine Superstore.

 

Hugh McCaig, Ecurie Ecosse Team Principal: “I am delighted that Ecurie Ecosse will be returning to British GT this year for another crack at the title, as well as taking on a fresh challenge in the form of the Blancpain Endurance Series. Both championships are extremely competitive, but I’m confident that we’ll be capable of delivering at the highest level thanks to the hard work of every team member, driver, supplier and loyal sponsor.”  

 

Andrew Smith (Blancpain Endurance Series): “This is a very exciting programme for Ecurie Ecosse. We looked at a number of options for this year after a highly successful 2013 and believe, with the combination of BMW’s Z4 GT3, the team at Barwell and a first-class driver line-up, that we absolutely have the right ingredients in place to achieve success in these two championships. It has been a tireless effort to put the deal together in an extremely challenging economic environment and we have to thank all of our sponsors for their continued support. Ultimately we want to be back at Le Mans and this is a fantastic step in the right direction.”

 

Marco Attard (British GT): “It’s great to be back with Ecurie Ecosse and the guys at Barwell. I can hit the ground running now that I’m continuing with the same car and team, and have a full season already under my belt. This, combined with having a driver of Alexander’s calibre alongside me, means I have put myself in the best possible position to challenge for the title again.”

 

Alexander Sims (British GT): “I’m over the moon, as getting a full-time drive in a championship as prestigious as British GT is just fantastic. It’s a great opportunity to embed myself within BMW’s network of teams, and to work alongside a gentleman driver as talented as Marco. Ecurie Ecosse and Barwell enjoy a very impressive track record together, with last year especially strong thanks to Marco and Olly. I simply cannot wait for us to begin working together.”

 

Mark Lemmer, Barwell Motorsport Team Principal: “I’m absolutely thrilled to have such a fantastic driver line-up across both championships, and it’s great to be able to welcome Alexander to our fold; he is undoubtedly one of the most exciting young British talents in the world of GT racing. I fully expect Ecurie Ecosse and Barwell to be pushing for both titles!”

 

The opening round of this year’s Blancpain Endurance Series comes from Monza, Italy, on April 12/13, while British GT’s Oulton Park curtain raiser takes place one week later (19-21).

 

ENDS

 

 OB

 

  

Email: as@ecurieecosse.com

Web:  www.ecurieecosse.com

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Dunes Double at Zandvoort

09/09/2013   Strong Zandvoort weekend sets up thrilling British GT title decider for Ecurie Ecosse   Strong performances from drivers Oliver Bryant and Marco Attard helped legendary Scottish motor racing outfit Ecurie Ecosse powered by Black Bull notch up 18 crucial points at Dutch circuit Zandvoort (September 7-8) to set up a thrilling British GT title decider at Donington Park next month. Top-six finishes in both races mean the team will travel to the season finale a mere 0.5 points shy of the championship lead – just as they did 12 months ago. Bryant and Attard’s previous outing aboard the Barwell Motorsport-run BMW Z4 GT3 saw the pair take a hard-fought podium at Brands Hatch, their third of the season following a superb victory at Silverstone and a season-opening third place at Oulton Park. The Zandvoort weekend began in earnest with two tricky qualifying sessions held in changeable conditions. Attard's first flying lap before rain hit was good enough for fourth on the grid, which became third when the 888Optimum BMW was handed a grid penalty for not completing the mandatory three laps. In the Pro driver session Bryant took time to adjust to the drying track and posted his quickest lap on the final tour, with a 1m40.75s securing sixth on the grid. At the start of race one Attard immediately passed David Ashburn's Trackspeed Porsche into Tarzan corner and set off after poleman Ahmad Al Harthy. He then quickly gapped the chasing pack by five seconds, the margin required to negate the pitstop penalty due to be served by the Ecosse squad as a result of their Brands Hatch podium. Unfortunately an accident for the GT4 championship-leading Ginetta resulted in a lengthy safety car period which wiped out this advanatge. When racing resumed Attard remained on track for an extra lap to avoid a congested pit lane, and after a swift stop by the Barwell Motorsport crew handed over to Bryant. Frustratingly, the Z4 had to be held for a further three seconds to allow two cars in the fast lane of the pits to pass before it was finally released. Falling in behind this pair, Bryant joined a pack which soon caught the leaders and formed a five-way battle for top spot. Keeping his cool, Bryant fought off the challenge of Phil Keen's Trackspeed Porsche behind to bring the Ecosse machine home in fifth, scoring a valuable 10 championship points in the process. In a remarkably close finish, the top-five cars were separated by just 1.7 seconds at the flag. In race two a cautious start by Bryant saw him lose ground before settling into a good rhythm with the United Autosports Audi of Matt Bell and the 888Optimum BMW of Dan Brown. He then lost time in traffic, narrowly avoiding contact after an optimistic lunge from the Mercedes of Benji Hetherington. A lap later the 888Optimum BMW made contact with a back-marker, sending both cars into the barriers, and while Bryant guided the Ecosse machine through the carnage unscathed it cost him further time. Another perfect pitstop by the Barwell crew allowed Attard to resume on the tail of championship rival Andrew Howard and a frantic battle soon erupted, with Attard applying firm pressure as the pair caught the scrap for fourth, fifth and sixth. The Beechdean Aston Martin driver defended robustly into Tarzan and Attard was forced to try the outside line on several occasions. Howard then passed Lee Mowle's Z4, with Attard following through a lap later. Howard next made his way past the AF Corse Ferrari of John Dhillon, but while Attard fought hard to do the same it was to no avail. Now under pressure again from Mowle, and despite a tap from the similar Z4 on the final lap resulting in a near spin, Attard managed to keep the Ecosse BMW firmly on the rear bumper of Dhillon's Ferrari. He would cross the line in sixth position, ensuring yet more championship points which put the Ecosse squad firmly in the title battle ahead of October’s season-closing Donington Park race. Oliver Bryant, Ecurie Ecosse: “With a new circuit and mixed conditions it was a difficult weekend, but the car was faultless, the team did a great job and Marco drove well as always. As such I'm very much looking forward to the season finale at Donington.” Marco Attard, Ecurie Ecosse: “We got a great start in the first race and I couldn’t believe our bad luck with the safety car! But overall this was a positive weekend with some good points, and I'm looking forward to the final push at Donington.” Mark Lemmer, Barwell Motorsport Team Principal : “We had a very solid weekend at Zandvoort which puts us just half a point off the championship lead going into the Donington finale. Without the safety car we would undoubtedly have finished on the podium in race one, which was frustrating but completely out of our control. Olly and Marco both enjoyed some incredibly close battles and, critically, stayed out of trouble. Now the gloves are off and it's a straight fight for the title at Donington!” Before focusing on their British GT title decider the team head to the Hungaroring for round four of the European Le Mans Series (September 14) where they will seek to extend their GTC class lead with drivers Ollie Millroy, Alasdair McCaig and Joe Twyman.   2013 British GT Championship – GT3 Drivers’ Standings (top three after nine rounds) 1.    Andrew Howard (Beechdean Aston Martin Vantage GT3) 107.5 points 2.    Oliver Bryant / Marco Attard  (Ecurie Ecosse BMW Z4 GT3) 107 points 3.    Jonny Adam (Beechdean Aston Martin Vantage GT3) 101.5 points   ENDS   Issued on behalf of Ecurie Ecosse   Photo credit: Gary Parravani, Xynamic Motorsport Photography Click on individual images to download   For more information on Ecurie Ecosse please visit www.ecurieecosse.com Follow our blog: ecurieecosse.blogspot.com Follow Ecurie Ecosse on Twitter: @ecurie_ecosse Follow Ecurie Ecosse on Facebook   Click here for the press release (PDF) Click here for the Ecurie Ecosse Association Membership Pack Click here for the Ecurie Ecosse 60th Anniversary Ltd Edition Bremont Chronometer Watch Presentation   Follow Ecurie Ecosse Drivers on Twitter: @alasdair_mccaig @oliverjbryant @andrewsmitht70 @joetwyman1986@olliemillroy   FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT: Andrew Smith Tel: +44 (0)7710 644 366 Email:  as@ecurieecosse.com

OB

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British GT Championship podium success at Brands Hatch

12/08/2013 Ecurie Ecosse scores third British GT podium in thrilling Brands Hatch enduro Legendary Scottish motor racing outfit Ecurie Ecosse powered by Black Bull and drivers Oliver Bryant and Marco Attard picked up their third British GT Championship podium of the season at Kent’s Brands Hatch Grand Prix circuit on Sunday (August 11) to move up to second in the championship. The squad’s Barwell Motorsport-run BMW Z4 GT3 enjoyed its last competitive outing at Austria’s Red Bull Ring for round three of the European Le Mans Series with drivers Ollie Millroy, Andrew Smith and Alasdair McCaig three weeks ago. With the team’s focus now switched back to its British GT programme, the UK event was an opportunity to score more valuable championship points. Attard converted a solid fifth place qualifying effort by Bryant into a excellent opening stint, holding his ground at the start before making his way up to third position early on. The Surrey-based driver tried in vain to pass the 888 BMW of Steve Tandy and briefly lost ground as the Ginetta of Colin White made its way to the front. But the Ecosse BMW was soon back into third following an off-track excursion for the Ginetta. Attard was then passed by hard charging Silver-graded driver Gregoire Demoustier in his McLaren and the Aston Martin of Mark Poole before pitting from P5 to hand over to Bryant. Thanks to a slick-as-ever pitstop by the Barwell Motorsport crew for tyres and fuel, Bryant rejoined chasing the Beechdean Aston Martin of Jonny Adam for what was to become the race lead. Bryant set about closing the gap to the Aston over the opening laps of his stint, but his charge was interrupted when the McLaren of Demoustier, now in the hands of Duncan Tappy, resumed in between the two. Bryant was keen to pass the McLaren straight away to continue his pursuit of Adam, but his efforts were thwarted again and again as Tappy defended impeccably. This enabled the Aston to make its escape up front while the Ecosse BMW's pace was severely hampered by being stuck behind the McLaren. Dan Brown in the 888 BMW soon closed in to make it a three-way battle for second place, managing to get ahead of Bryant before pushing hard to pass Tappy, but to no avail. With 15 minutes left on the clock Bryant capitalised on a mistake by Brown into Graham Hill Bend to reclaim third place. He then made a concerted effort to attack Tappy in the final laps, while also holding off the attentions of Brown. Bryant succeeded in his defence from the 888 BMW but was unable to pass Tappy, who held on to second by the narrowest of margins. Third place was nevertheless a fantastic result for the Ecurie Ecosse pairing and made up for the disappointment of Snetterton eight weeks ago. Attard's opening stint was the perfect start and Bryant absorbed huge pressure to deliver a podium and a vital 22.5 championship points. Oliver Bryant, Ecurie Ecosse driver: “This was a great weekend for us. We worked hard on the setup and found a good race balance. Unfortunately I couldn't pass the McLaren as I believe we had the pace to challenge for the win today, but I'm happy with third. Marco delivered the perfect opening stint and the Barwell crew gave us a brilliant strategy as always. I can't wait for Zandvoort.” Marco Attard, Ecurie Ecosse driver: “After a hectic but orderly start we managed to get up to third place. There were limited opportunities to pass the 888 BMW so I thought it best to play it safe and trust Olly to finish the job. This was a great result and as usual the team performed brilliantly - roll on Zandvoort!” Mark Lemmer, Barwell Motorsport Team Principal: “We have to capitalise on the circuits that suit the Z4 and so far this season we have done just that. We are in great shape to carry on and get the job done.” In addition to the activities on track, Ecurie Ecosse had numerous guests and sponsors joining the team over the weekend. Significantly, the team invited five current and former young cancer patients from the Teenage Cancer Trust unit at the Royal Marsden Hospital in Surrey. Ecosse European Le Mans Series driver and former patient Joe Twyman was on hand to show the patients the ins and outs of the BMW Z4 GT3. Ecurie Ecosse’s next competitive outing sees the team head to Zandvoort for rounds eight and nine of the British GT Championship (September 8). 2013 British GT Championship – GT3 Drivers’ Standings (top three after seven rounds) 1.    Jonny Adam / Andrew Howard (Beachdeen Aston Martin Vantage GT3) 95.5 points 2.    Oliver Bryant / Marco Attard  (Ecurie Ecosse BMW Z4 GT3) 89 points 3.    Matt Bell / Mark Patterson    United Autosports Audi R8 LMS GT3 79.5 points ENDS Issued on behalf of Ecurie Ecosse Photo credit: Gary Parravani, Xynamic Motorsport Photography Click on individual images to download For more information on Ecurie Ecosse please visit www.ecurieecosse.com Follow our blog: ecurieecosse.blogspot.com Follow Ecurie Ecosse on Twitter: @ecurie_ecosse Follow Ecurie Ecosse on Facebook Click here for the press release (PDF) Click here for the Ecurie Ecosse Association Membership Pack Click here for the Ecurie Ecosse 60th Anniversary Ltd Edition Bremont Chronometer Watch Presentation Follow Ecurie Ecosse Drivers on Twitter: @alasdair_mccaig @oliverjbryant @andrewsmitht70 @joetwyman1986@olliemillroy FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT: Andrew Smith Tel: +44 (0)7710 644 366 Email:  as@ecurieecosse.com

OB

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A few photographs from the weekend at Imola by Peter May.

Joe Twyman getting in before Free Practice 1

Free Practice 1 was wet.

Ollie Millroy

The Ecosse Z4 exits Tamburello with the city of Imola behind

In amongst the GTE and Prototypes in FP2

The exit of Tosa

Andrew Smith qualified on Saturday morning

L-R Joe Twyman, Andrew Smith, Ollie Millroy (and friends)

On the grid before the start of the Imola 3 Hours

Lap 1 going into the first chicane

Z4 at speed

Podium for 3rd place in GTC

Joe Twyman, Ollie Millroy & Andrew Smith

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Busy Winter!

Busy Winter!

Although we haven't been racing throughout the winter, we have still managed to keep ourselves extremely busy throughout the winter! Together as a team we have worked very hard to put together our 2013 program to compete in British GT and the European Le Mans Series and with just one week until the first round, it's all starting to feel very real! 

Alongside season preparations, I have been working hard for a young driver who I mentor and coach, Cameron Twynham (not related to Joe) and shall be helping him throughout the whole season in the European Open Formula 3 Championship.

I first worked with Cameron in October 2012, in the Formula Renault BARC Championship where he was competing with SWB Motorsport. He was massively inexperienced compared to his competitors having done a very limited amount of karting and only one season in Formula BMW, yet he was still strong amongst the rest of the field. I could see areas that he could certainly improve on to take some big steps forward so we worked extremely hard throughout the winter on his fitness, mental preparation and simulator work which resulted in a podium at his first race, a result he thoroughly deserved! The first round of his main championship will take place at Paul Ricard on 28th April! 

As you may, or may not already know, golf takes up a lot of my time all year round! I have been putting a lot of work into my game throughout the winter with countless freezing cold hours on the driving range and the waterproofs have been used an awful lot out on course! My current handicap is 8 and on it's way down but just like motorsport the closer you get, the harder it is to improve and the more hours of practice you need to invest! The main reason I chose to take up the sport, was to train my mind for motor racing as golf is certainly the most mentally challenging sport in the world. There is never anyone or anything else to blame, you are totally on your own and your result will solely depend on how you play. 

So besides my golf, coaching and of course working hard to secure my drive for the 2013 season, most of my time has been taken up by training. I decided in the middle of the 2012 season that by the first race this year, I want to be fitter and stronger than I ever have been. However, putting these hours in solely at a gym can be extremely tedious so I decided to take up cycling, which is where I do he majority of my cardio training! I set myself a challenge and on the 3rd May 2013, I shall cycle 400km in 48hrs in aid of The Halow Project, a charity set up to support young people with learning disabilities.  To sponsor my ride and support this charity, please visit www.virginmoneygiving.com/olliemillroy

OM

www.olliemillroy.com

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First Test

Today (5th March) sees our brand new 2013 BMW Z4 GT3 on track for the first time. 

Olly Bryant and Marco Attard will drive the car at Oulton Park as part of their pre season testing programme, ahead of round 1 in less than a month's time.

To follow the progress of the team, keep checking our blog and follow us all on Twitter.

@ecurie_ecosse

@joetwyman1986

@andrewsmitht70

@olliemillroy

@alasdair_mccaig

@oliverjbryant

JT

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BES Photos

Seemingly wherever we went in 2012 with the Blancpain Endurance Series the rain followed us. Ironically the only event at which we didnt see rain was the one place we expected it: Nurburgring. Throughout the year a number of photographers got soggy on Ecosse's behalf and below are a selection of some of our favourite shots. Photography: Jakob Ebrey, Peter May & Brecht Decancq.

In 2012 we had such a great team camaraderie. This is pre race at the Nurburgring with Grahame Bryant, Chris Clark, Olly Bryant, Joe Twyman, Ollie Millroy and Alasdair McCaig.  All those not in overalls travelled over from Spa Francorchamps where they had been doing the historic 6 hour race. Andrew Smith is in the car waiting to go!

Monza was very wet and a real baptism of fire for all the boys! Andrew started the race and it ran for 40 minutes under the safety car!

Silverstone was similarly wet with the race started under the safety car again. This time it was Joe's turn to endure the stint from hell.. The issue in both instances was more spray related than anything else. Its like driving blind into a sea of mist. Not ideal when you know there are two others waiting to have a go in the pits!

Paul Ricard is a great place and despite the long Mistral Straight the Z4 went very well there. Unfortunately we were robbed of a points finish on the last lap with a "fuel issue"..... Here we are seen with the Haribo racing Porsche. Its always good to be pitted next to them for obvious supply reasons!

Andrew's first stint at the Nurburgring was fantastic. The boys picked up their first BES championship points after a gruelling 3 hour race on the GP circuit.

The final round of BES at Navarra. Our 2011 spec Z4 is up against the Vita4One and Marc VDS 2012 examples. There was about 9 tenths difference in the upgrade kit and we knew we were getting the best out of the 2011 car when we went quicker here than the 2011 FIA GT3 Pole time.

JT

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2012

2012 saw Ecurie Ecosse return to international sportscar racing for a full season. This time, the weapon of choice was the potent BMW Z4 GT3 in the British GT Championship and Blancpain Endurance Series. Alasdair McCaig and Oliver Bryant contested the UK Championship, whilst Joe Twyman and Andrew Smith were joined by former BMW Scholarship driver Ollie Millroy to contest the European Series.

Barwell Motorsport were again chosen to run the Z4 and they turned out a faultless car all year. The season got off to an excellent start with Ecurie Ecosse winning at Oulton Park in their first race in the British GT Championship. Bryant and McCaig followed this up with podiums at Brands Hatch and Silverstone (where Ollie Hancock stood in for Bryant).  

The Ecurie Ecosse BMW scored points in every round of the championship and this left McCaig just half a point behind the leaders going into the final round at Donington Park in September. The championship was so competitive that 6 different drivers could leave Donington as Champion. McCaig was re-united with regular driving partner Bryant after a 2-month injury forced lay-off.  With ten minutes to go in the two-hour race, it looked as though the pairing had done enough to secure the championship for Ecurie Ecosse and Alasdair at the first time of asking. Oliver was  running 3rd on the road out of the points-scoring runners. Disaster then struck  as Oliver was handed a 1-minute stop-go penalty for accidental contact with the championship rival Ferrari. This dropped McCaig to 5th in the drivers standings much to the disappointment of the huge crowd of sponsors, friends and supporters in the Ecurie Ecosse garage.

In the highly competitive Blancpain Endurance Series Ecurie Ecosse had some very promising showings against more up to date machinery.  The season kicked off in miserable conditions at Monza, where Smith, Twyman and Millroy brought the car home an impressive 11th in class and 21st overall on the massive 55-car grid.  At Paul Ricard, Oliver Bryant joined Twyman and Millroy. The trio were enjoying a very strong run, running 8th in class and 12th overall until fuel pick-up issues on the final lap dropped the car several places. Even so, the Ecurie Ecosse machine came home an impressive 13th in class and 20th overall.At the Nurburgring, Smith was back in the car alongside Twyman and Millroy and the trio enjoyed an excellent run in dry conditions. Unfortunately the smaller fuel tank in the 2011-spec BMW meant that they could not take advantage of a safety car period to re-fuel the car and therefore lost some positions.  Despite this, all three drivers did an excellent job and the result netted a points finish of 10th in class and 20th overall. For the final round at Navarra, Smith, Twyman and Millroy were together once again and had their best run of the season. A podium finish was on the cards when the heavens opened and the safety car dropped the team a lap behind the rest of the pack.  The team’s qualifying pace was outstanding with Millroy putting in a time confirmed by the factory which was quicker than a 2011-spec Z4 has ever lapped on the circuit and would have been good enough for pole position in the 2011 FIA GT3 Championship.  The team made a big impression, surprising many of the bigger well funded teams by running at the front on a fraction of the budget in older specification machinery, proving that with a brand new 2013 car Ecurie Ecosse can challenge for overall class honours in what is now the world’s most competitive GT Series.

JT

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