Last Race of Impressive Debut Season for Continental GT3
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- Bentley looks to finish the season in style at the Nürburgring - Team and drivers in contention to be Endurance Series champions - "Very high confidence in the cars and the team"
Final preparations are being made as the Bentley Continental GT3 is readied for the last race in the 2014 Blancpain Endurance Series, at the famous Nürburgring in Germany. Bentley, in conjunction with technical partners M-Sport, is looking to finish the season on a high, after a successful opening championship with an all-new car. The #7 Continental GT3 of Guy Smith, Andy Meyrick and Steven Kane and the sister #8 car of Jérôme D'Ambrosio, Duncan Tappy and Antoine Leclerc will both be fighting hard to secure as many points as possible for the team's championship challenge at the notoriously gruelling 1000 km race.
Having won two of the championship races so far, with victory for car #7 at Silverstone and Paul Ricard, Bentley reaches the final round on Sunday 21st September at the Nürburgring Grand Prix track. Bentley's Director of Motorsport, Brian Gush, is looking forward to the contest:
"I'm very pleased with what we've achieved in our debut season with the Continental GT3, and now the team is firmly focused on the final round. The last race at Spa was a tough one for us as our adjusted balance of performance took us off the pace of our championship competitors, but we have very high confidence in the cars and the team and I think we can do well. To finish the 2014 season with a strong result for both cars would be the perfect reward for the hard work put in by every member of this team since the car's first test race only nine months ago. "
Bentley Boy Andy Meyrick is ready to race for a third win of the Blancpain Endurance season for the #7 Continental GT3:
"After our difficult race and restricted performance at Spa we're no longer leading the championship, but as always we'll be pushing as hard as we can in Germany. I really want us to be on the podium here - anything else would not reflect how far this car and this team have come this season. I'm proud of our results this year, and in many ways I'm disappointed that the season is coming to an end - it's been hugely enjoyable. Guy, Steven and I have been training together, as we have all season, and we know what we have to do."
Meanwhile, the Bentley Boys of car #8 could help determine the overall endurance teams' championship with a high-placed finish in Germany. Duncan Tappy is eager to score his best result of the season:
"Car #8 has had a challenging season in many ways, with more than our fair share of bad luck, so I'm really hopeful that we can be at the front at the last race. We know the car can be quick, so now it's up to us as drivers to deliver the result. The Nürburgring Grand Prix track is a tough one, and it'll be the first time we've run the car there, so the learning curve will be steep - but as with any debut season, it has been all year long, and we're used to it!"
The 1000 km of the Nürburgring starts at 11:45 local time on Sunday 21st September. Follow @BentleyComms on Twitter for live updates throughout the race weekend, while news and photos will be posted to www.bentleymedia.com. Bentley's 2015 motorsport plans will be announced in due course.
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Notes to editors
-The Continental GT3 is built by the Bentley motorsport team in conjunction with M-Sport. The Bentley GT3 team is led by Bentley Director of Motorsport, Brian Gush supported by M-Sport's Chief Engineer, Christian Loriaux. M-Sport was originally formed in 1979, and in 1994 M-Sport won national rally titles in Italy, Portugal, the Middle East and Britain, the latter with founder Malcolm Wilson himself behind the wheel. Since 1996, M-Sport has run Ford's WRC campaigns, including winning two FIA World Rally Championships in 2006 and 2007. -The Continental GT3 project is proud to be working with ExxonMobil, who have joined the team as a key sponsor. Using ExxonMobil's proven success in motorsports and a track record of helping bring home championships, Bentley's V8 race engine will be filled with Mobil 1[TM] synthetic motor oil, to ensure maximum engine protection and performance in the gruelling environment of endurance racing. -In 2002, Bentley launched the Continental GT, then the most powerful Bentley ever built. Breitling lent the revolutionary new luxury car an extra personal touch, by participating in the design of the technical instruments and, importantly, creating the onboard clock. Following a successful collaboration during Bentley's renowned Le Mans campaign from 2001 to 2003, Breitling returned as a key sponsor of the Continental GT3 project.
-The Continental GT3 programme is also sponsored by premium British audio experts Naim. For both Bentley and Naim, an enduring relationship with customers is core to the philosophy. Both are proud of their British heritage and reputation for offering their customers the very best products in their respective industries. Naim's highly specialised team of world-class engineers and designers have a passion and commitment to music that enables them to deliver what is considered by many audio enthusiasts - and their loyal customer base - to be the finest range of audio equipment available in the world today.
-Bentley Motors' headquarters in Crewe is home to all of its operations including design, R&D, engineering and production of the company's three model lines, Continental, Flying Spur and Mulsanne. The combination of fine craftsmanship, using skills that have been handed down through generations, alongside engineering expertise and cutting-edge technology is unique to UK luxury car brands such as Bentley. It is also an example of high-value British manufacturing at its best. Bentley employs around 3,700 people at Crewe.
Contact:
Mike Sayer
Product and Motorsport Communications Manager
mike.sayer@bentley.co.uk
+44(0)7507 846782
Andrea Baker
Head of Media Communications
andrea.baker@bentley.co.uk
+44(0)7415 499252
Bentley Motors Ltd
Pyms Lane
Crewe
CW1 3PL
www.bentleymedia.com
communications@bentley.co.uk
@BentleyComms