Silverstone 500 pole position and race win!

28/05/2013   Ecurie Ecosse savours strategic Silverstone 500 win   A perfect weekend for Ecurie Ecosse saw the famous Scottish squad score its first British GT Championship victory and pole position of the season at Silverstone, helping drivers Olly Bryant and Marco Attard vault to the top of the points standings in the process.   Bryant served notice of the team’s intentions during Saturday’s qualifying session by planting the Barwell Motorsport-run BMW Z4 GT3 firmly on pole position thanks to a stunning lap of 2m02.6s around the Silverstone Arena GP circuit, the first for both himself and Ecurie Ecosse.   Team-mate Attard was behind the wheel for the start of Sunday’s three-hour race, and although he initially lost out to David Ashburn's Porsche on the run to Copse, he re-took the position with a firm move under braking into Stowe later on the opening lap.    His lead had soon grown to three seconds as others squabbled for positions behind, but with some teams opting to start with their quicker Pro drivers it wasn’t long before the Mercedes SLS of Benji Hetherington reeled in and passed the BMW.   A clash between Mark Blundell’s McLaren and a Ginetta brought out the Safety Car, allowing the strategic nous of Barwell Motorsport engineer Adam Hardy to come into play. Attard pitted from second and handed over to Bryant who resumed still on the lead lap behind the Safety Car. He pushed hard at the re-start to slice his way through the traffic in pursuit of the lead pack, setting the fastest first sector time in the process, before losing several positions when boxed in by a slower GTC car.    Two laps later Phil Keen’s Porsche collided with the limping 911 of Gregor Fisken, taking both cars out of the race and hastening a second Safety Car period. Once again the Barwell crew called their Ecosse BMW into the pits for a driver change, tyres and fuel. Attard then embarked on a lengthy hour-long stint, avoiding the problems of others and coping well against Pro drivers as each team opted for different strategies.    At this stage it appeared as though Ecurie Ecosse were in for a subdued afternoon, running comfortably in the top-10 but not challenging the front-runners. In fact, with two of three mandatory pit-stops completed during caution periods, Bryant found himself in an excellent position when he took over for the final 60 minutes.   Frequently the fastest man on track, Bryant was taking 2-3 seconds per lap out of the leading AF Corse Ferrari ahead. That he would have caught the 458 was inevitable, but his task was made easier when Jay Palmer suffered the first of two punctures that ended his car’s podium chances.   Now leading, Bryant was able to manage the pressure from charging Aston Martin factory driver Jonny Adam. Traffic saw the gap fluctuate between the pair as the race moved towards its conclusion, but Bryant was never threatened and he took the chequered flag 17 seconds clear to claim the team’s second ever British GT victory as well as his and Attard’s second championship podium of the season.    With points-and-a-half being awarded for the blue riband three-hour race, victory sees the pair now lead the drivers’ standings after four of 10 races.    Oliver Bryant, #79 Ecurie Ecosse BMW: “That’s a really, really good result. Marco did a great job today, and all weekend really. The team gave us a perfect set-up and there were no issues at all with the car during the race. It was avoiding other people's mistakes that proved key. Early on I got boxed in behind a GTC entry that allowed four or five GT3 cars to come flying past me on the run into Maggots. I backed out of that and erred on the side of caution, and obviously it paid off. The strategy played out well in the end. Adam, our engineer, is a bit of a whizz with strategy, so he decided exactly what to do. He knew when we could pit, how far into a Safety Car period we should stop and how far we could stretch the fuel. He worked it out perfectly and got two of our stops out of the way pretty early on, while some of the cars in front of us still had to pit when I got in for the final time. It’s a really great result for us!”   Marco Attard, #79 Ecurie Ecosse BMW: “This is fantastic! It's all down to Olly and the team really. I've learnt so much from them, especially this weekend, and they've all done a great job. The BMW goes really well at certain parts of the circuit – through Becketts it’s absolutely fantastic – then there are other sections where it's a little hairy, but overall it was really good. I’m very happy!”   Mark Lemmer, Barwell Motorsport Team Principal: “This was probably one of the best and most well deserved victories that we have enjoyed recently, so I am very proud of the whole team. We have worked hard for this, had the pace and totally smashed it on strategy. I couldn't be happier!”   GT3 Drivers’ Championship (after four races):   1. Bryant/Attard 60.5 points 2. Hughes/Berg 45 3. Ashburn/Tandy 43 4. Bell/Patterson 42.5 5. Westbrook/Fisken 37.5 6. Howard/Adam 36 7. Hetherington 33 8. Al Harthy/Caine 29   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

Tweet Pin It Now!

EUROPEAN LE MANS SERIES ROUND 1 SILVERSTONE

15/04/2013 Stunning European Le Mans Series debut for Ecurie Ecosse at Silverstone Legendary Scottish motor racing outfit Ecurie Ecosse backed up their strong British GT podium at Oulton Park with an impressive European Le Mans Series opener at Silverstone on Saturday (13 April) when drivers Ollie Millroy, Andrew Smith and Alasdair McCaig overcame torrential rain to win the GTC class and bring the squad’s Barwell Motorsport-run BMW Z4 GT3 home an impressive 10th overall. The team experienced mixed weather conditions during Friday's free practice, but by the end of session two the Ecurie Ecosse BMW was the quickest GTC car and fourth fastest GT overall. With series rules dictating that the driver setting the fastest time during the 20-minute qualifying run must start the 3-hour race, it was decided that Smith would tackle the session so as to allow BMW Scholarship driver Millroy to complete the crucial final two stints. Following a night of rain the circuit was wet early on Saturday morning, but by the time qualifying came the track was almost completely dry. On Smith’s first ever new-tyre run he set a strong pace with a quickest lap of 2m03.737s leaving the Ecurie Ecosse BMW second in the GTC Class, 0.25s shy of pole and in the midst of the much quicker GTE pack. Smith started the race on slick tyres but with rain falling during the green flag lap conditions were extremely slippery. An on-track incident caused a safety car on lap two while the rain was becoming heavier, though series regulations stipulate that drivers cannot pit during the first three laps of a caution period. Smith made the call to stop for wet tyres immediately after the restart while the class-leading Audi stayed out. After a lightning-quick turnaround from the Barwell crew Smith was able to set a strong pace on fresh Michelins, while the GTC pole-sitting Audi driven by Porsche Supercup race-winner Kuba Giermaziak eventually emerged from its stop a lap down on the Ecurie Ecosse BMW. Following a swift changeover Smith handed the BMW to McCaig, who went on to complete a superb stint in treacherous conditions as standing water started to collect across the circuit. Despite contact from an optimistic prototype at Abbey corner on his opening lap, the Scot consistently set strong lap times to maintain the team’s class-leading position. As conditions continued to worsen another safety car was deployed and McCaig pitted once the window opened to hand over to Pro driver Millroy. With the heavens remaining open track conditions were deteriorating quickly, leaving a number of competitors unable to maintain control behind the safety car. Millroy did an exceptional job keeping the BMW on the island without incident after the team was given permission to increase its average speed to catch the pack. Sadly the race only continued to 75% distance before the red flags appeared, denying Millroy the opportunity to show his exceptional wet weather pace which could undoubtedly have pushed the team considerably further up the overall classification. Nevertheless, Ecurie Ecosse claimed maximum points with a class win and top-10 overall finish, a superb start to the team’s European Le Mans Series campaign. Hugh McCaig, Ecurie Ecosse Team Principal: "Our inaugural ELMS race was certainly a baptism! The conditions during practice and the race were changeable and unpredictable, but the whole team adopted a sensible driving approach. This, coupled with inspired tactics by Adam Hardy, gave us a brilliant class victory and 10th overall, a superb effort by the whole crew." Andrew Smith, Ecurie Ecosse Driver: "We came to Silverstone to win the GTC class and that’s exactly what we did. The Barwell crew did a fantastic job as ever. I had the best of the weather and certainly the easiest stint, while Alasdair did an amazing job keeping the car on the circuit in horrific conditions. I’m gutted for Ollie as for a second race running he was only able to drive behind the safety car, but we bagged maximum points and I’m now very much looking forward to Imola." Alasdair McCaig, Ecurie Ecosse Driver: "My stint was certainly a game of survival due to the treacherous conditions. The team did a great job as ever and our strategy was spot on. This was a fantastic way to start our ELMS campaign and I am looking forward to getting back in the car at the Red Bull Ring." Ollie Millroy, Ecurie Ecosse Driver: "This is a fantastic result for the team and a great start to the season. Of course, none of us want to finish a race behind the safety car, but the conditions were too dangerous to continue. It was difficult to even keep the car in a straight line! However, we made the most of the conditions and came away with lots of momentum to carry through to Imola." Mark Lemmer, Barwell Motorsport Team Principal: “We set out to win our home race at Silverstone and bank maximum points towards our Le Mans Series title campaign and, thanks to a faultless performance from the drivers, pit stop crew and engineers we were able to do so in style." Ecurie Ecosse’s next competitive outing sees the team head to Rockingham for round three of the British GT Championship (5 May) with drivers Oliver Bryant and Marco Attard. Round two of the European Le Mans Series takes place at Imola on 18 May where Millroy, Smith and Joe Twyman will share driving duties. ENDS Issued on behalf of Ecurie Ecosse Photo credit: Jakob Ebrey Photography - www.jakobebrey.com 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 OB

Tweet Pin It Now!

EUROPEAN LE MANS SERIES SILVERSTONE

A few photos from today's practice sessions at Silverstone. Our BMW Z4 GT3 set the 3rd quickest time in FP1 and 1st quickest time in FP2 in the hands of Alasdair McCaig, Andrew Smith and Ollie Millroy. The circuit was very wet in FP1 and dried towards the end of FP2 allowing us to run slicks in the closing stages. We'll post more photos as the weekend goes on! Follow us on twitter for updates @ecurie_ecosse

Photo credits: Jakob Ebrey and Marcus Potts

Free Practice 1

 Free Practice 2

OB

Tweet Pin It Now!