Andrew Watson heads to the Circuit Paul Ricard this week for the fifth meeting of the 2018 Blancpain GT Series and it promises to be the most exciting round yet, as the race stretches into the darkness at the French Venue.
Marking the third Endurance Cup round of the season, the 1000 kilometres race of the Circuit Paul Ricard will see Andrew and the Garage 59 team push for a strong result in France and with a longer-than-usual race distance comes the reward of additional points. The winners, this weekend, will take home 33 rather than the 25 usually awarded at Endurance Cup races, with 24 for the runners-up and 19 for third.
But, at this stage of the season, championship standings are not at the top of the agenda. As the final Endurance Cup round before the Total 24 Hours of Spa (26-29 July), the Paul Ricard event allows for crucial fine-tuning ahead of the most important race of the year. A strong result is still the main objective, but there is also considerable focus on uncovering information that could make the difference between glory and heartbreak at the Total 24 Hours of Spa.
Starting in daylight and finishing in the night just before midnight, the race will mark the first night-running of the season and will be perfect preparation for the 24 Hours of Spa for both man and machine.
After a good performance in the car at the previous round at Silverstone, Andrew is looking forward to this weekend and hopes to collect a good result.
“I’m excited to get back out on track this weekend after a good showing at Silverstone. Although we didn’t get the result we felt we had deserved at Silverstone, the pace felt really strong and that’s a good sign entering an important stage of the season.”
The weekend commences on Friday with free practice and pre-qualifying at 09:50 (BST) and 14:40 respectively. Saturday gets started with qualifying in the morning at 08:40, with the 1000 kilometres race starting at 16:45.
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