Bentley to field three British racers in its competitive motorsport racing comeback this year
Back in October, we had informed you about Bentley's plan to get back to its racing roots. On December 13, 2013, Bentley will get back to competitive racing. The brand's Continental GT3 will take to the Yas Marina circuit, Abu Dhabi, for the 2013 Gulf 12 Hours. It is a two-part endurance race, six hours each. This will be Bentley's first track-action since winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2003, a good 10 years back. Bentley has now announced its team. Piloting for Bentley in its competitive motorsport comeback will be a trio of British drivers, namely Guy Smith, Steven Kane and Andy Meyrick.
Steven Kane, Guy Smith and Andy Meyrick (l to r)
The GT3 is a creation of Bentley Motorsports joining hands with M-Sport for development. The car will be run by M-Sport and in 2014, Team M-Sport Bentley will compete in the entire Blancpain Endurance Series as well. Post the developmental work on the car, the car was put through endurance runs to finally test its readiness. According to the company, both car and drivers are fully prepped to take the circuit. "After completing development and endurance testing on a variety of race tracks around Europe since we unveiled the car at Goodwood in July, we're confident that the Continental GT3 is prepared for its first test race. While the development work never stops, we feel ready to take on the competition for the first time in Abu Dhabi. I'm delighted with our driver selection, and in Guy, Steven and Andy we have world-class talent. All at Team M-Sport Bentley are thrilled to be racing next month," said Brian Gush, director of motorsport, Bentley.
The GT3 is a creation of Bentley Motorsports joining hands with M-Sport for development
Guy Smith helped man the Bentley Speed 8 to victory in the 2003 Le Mans race. Post Team Bentley, Guy returned to Le Mans in 2004 with Audi which saw him take 2nd place, after finishing 3rd at the Sebring 12 Hours. In 2005, Guy joined Dyson Racing in the US, competing in the American Le Mans Series (ALMS). Guy and Dyson claimed the ALMS title in 2011, and finished 2nd in 2012.
Steven Kane is a former Porsche Carrera Cup, British Touring Car, ALMS and GRAND-AM driver. According to Bentley, Kane and his experience were instrumental in the development of the race car.
According to Bentley, Kane and his experience were instrumental in the development of the race car
Finally, Andy Meyrick. Apart from growing up close to the Bentley Crewe factory, he has had seasons in Le Mans Prototype (LMP) competition, in both LMP1 and LMP2, including racing at the Le Mans 24 Hours. In 2012 he competed in the Porsche Carrera Cup, with a podium finish. This year, he has wheeled the Nissan ZEOD/DeltaWing in ALMS and competing in the Blancpain Endurance Series.
