SIR CHRIS HOY MAINTAINS 100% FINISHING RECORD AT TOUGHEST TRACK OF THE SEASON
- Hoy gains more valuable race experience on his road to Le Mans
BRANDS HATCH, UK - Sunday 31 August 2014: The Nissan GT Academy Team RJN GT-R finished today’s British GT race at Brands Hatch in 11th place, narrowly missing out on the points in the penultimate round of the 2014 championship.
On a beautiful day at Brands, the racing was fast and furious from the second the lights went green. It was Hoy who took the start of the two-hour race, lining up mid-grid in 16th position where anything can happen as the cars barrel into the first corner.
Hoy made a superb job of the start, moving up from 16th to 12th by the end of the first lap and then gained another place on lap two before settling in for a full hour of racing.
“The start reminded me of the start of a bike race where everyone is jockeying for position,” explained Hoy. “It was full of excitement, not least due to a couple of ‘wheel on the grass’ moments. There’s no room for error at Brands Hatch so I had to knuckle down and focus. I got a good hard tap from behind at one point which caused me to lose a couple of positions and I made another mistake which caused me to lose a couple more places but I really enjoyed it and next time that happens I’ll know what to do!”
At the end of Chris’ stint it was time for Jann Mardenborough to jump in. Jann’s racing has been focused on the GP3 Series and Le Mans this year but he made a welcome return to the British GT Championship where he learned so much during his first year of racing in 2012.
“When I joined the race I was 11th and I didn't have sight of the car in 10th so I had to just go for it and see what happened,” said Jann. “The GT-R is great in the 2014 specification compared to when I raced it here. We can really defend on the straights and we have more traction than before. I finished in 11th but despite being just outside the points the car is in one piece and Chris has gained more experience so it’s mission accomplished. I’m here to teach Chris and I’ve really enjoyed it.”
On paper it is a shame to finish outside of the points but the end game of Nissan’s participation in the 2014 British GT Championship is to prepare Hoy for Le Mans in 2016.
“The positive we can take from today is the fact that Chris has a 100% finishing record in British GT and that is half the battle won,” said Team Principal, Bob Neville. “He continues to build his experience and we continue to be impressed by how he has applied himself to the task. He made a great start today but just a couple of errors cost him four places. Jann did a stellar job as always but we just couldn’t find the grip today and finished outside the points.”
The final race of the British GT Championship takes place in just two weeks time at Donington Park and the entire Nissan GT Academy Team RJN will be pushing to end the season on a high.
ENDS
