22 June 2011

Freddy strengthens championship with another podium

On a weekend controlled by the weather, Freddy Nordström once again made his presence known in the Avon Tyres British GT Championship with another podium finish.

A tense start to the weekend saw Freddy and team-mate Leyton Clarke take to the Brands Hatch track after a five week break. As the qualifying session arrived on Saturday the pace of their Lotus Sport UK run Lotus Evora was threatened, when a fuel-to-car connection problem arose.

After overcoming the issues as much as possible, Freddy and Leyton qualified seventh in the GT4 Class. A repair of the car during Saturday evening paved the way for a potentially smooth ride towards the two hour race on Sunday, however a challenge lay in front of them.

Sunday morning saw Freddy and Leyton take to the track for the brief morning warm-up session. As the day progressed towards the race the weather favoured the British GT field, with a dry track ready for two hours of excitement. For the first time this season it was Freddy who started the race, as the 31 car field thundered around the Grand Prix layout for the rolling start.

A large grid quickly spread out over the formation lap, which made it difficult for Freddy to advance on his grid position. However, as he reached the 10 lap mark his Lotus Evora soon came to life, as he chased down his rivals, also setting the fastest lap of the Lotus Sport UK team in the process.

As Freddy carved his way through the opening hour of the race the weather intervened once again, as the rain started to fall. After proving the wet pace of the Lotus Evora last time out at Snetterton, Freddy’s speed in the wet once again became apparent, as he fought through to second place.

Before long it was time for Freddy to hand the car over to Leyton. As their rivals faltered on a wet track, Freddy and Leyton could almost taste victory. As the end of the race approached the rain stopped and the track began to dry. Despite holding a 30 second lead, the dry track appeared to favour their nearest rivals, with Leyton unable to hold off the opposition.

After temporarily dropping to third place, a collision between the top two enabled Leyton to slip through into the lead on the final tour, before being forced back to second in the closing stages.

Looking back over the weekend Freddy said: “I’m pleased with the outcome from Brands Hatch. We struggled at the beginning of the weekend, so to leave Sunday evening with another second place finish is an achievement for us.

“We again demonstrated our genuine pace this weekend during the race, and also showed that we are strong in the wet. Hopefully we can get onto the top step very soon, it can’t be far away now,” he continued.

Freddy now has a three week break until the next round, when he will make the trip to Belgium to race on the historic Spa Francorchamps circuit over the weekend of 8-9th July.