18 May 2011

Freddy on podium again after Snetterton 

As another race weekend came and went, Freddy Nordström again tasted the celebratory champagne with another podium place finish. Snetterton, Norfolk, was the scene of the action, with a thrilling two hour endurance race set to entertain the crowds.

Again the weekend began with two separate one hour practice sessions on Saturday morning. After the opening 60 minutes of track time, Freddy and team-mate Leyton Clarke fired their Lotus Evora to second in the G4 Class.

The weather attempted to thwart Freddy’s plans for success in the second practice session, as a mixture of rain and hail disrupted proceedings, making the track extremely slippery. Despite their lack of running in the wet the Lotus machine held its own, finishing the session at the top of the class.

With two hours of track time behind them, the Lotus Sport UK duo headed back out on track for qualifying. 13 laps later the chequered flag signalled the end of the qualifying outing, with Freddy and Leyton securing the third fastest time in class.

Unlike the opening round at Oulton Park, Snetterton featured a single two hour race, giving Freddy his first ultimate taste of endurance racing.

Sunday arrived and brought race day with it. The morning warm-up session saw the youngster iron out some issues in the car, as the team prepared themselves for the upcoming race.

Leyton took control of the opening stint, with Freddy taking the concluding hour of the race. An eventful outing saw many of the other runners fall by the wayside, as chaos struck teams and drivers up and down the field.

The mandatory driver change pit stop soon arrived to mark the half-way point, as Leyton handed control over to Freddy.

Freddy was able to keep himself out of trouble, and as one of their main rivals suffered a penalty for missing the obligatory pit stop window, his control on the G4 Class took hold.

With just eight laps remaining Freddy had a cushion of 25 seconds to the second placed car, and was looking strong for a first victory for Lotus Sport UK. However, with just two laps to go his pursuer soon caught up and managed to steal honours.

Freddy and Leyton once again finished in a very strong second place, returning to the podium for another taste of champagne and celebration. Commenting on his Snetterton success, Freddy said: “It was an exciting race and it’s been a good weekend all around. We had our first wet running with the car on Saturday and we were second overall at one point. It’s good to know how strong we are in the wet as well as in the dry.

“Although this was the longest race I’ve done, with a continuous hour behind the wheel, it seemed easier than driving just half an hour. I really enjoyed it and I’m looking forward to the longer races later in the year,” he continued.

Freddy will next be racing at Brands Hatch, Kent over the weekend of 18-19th June. The track is very familiar to him and he is looking forward to the next challenge.