One of many fascinating stories in the 2013 Blancpain Enduarance Series is the emergence of bright new talent. This season sees many candidates for the new faces of the future in global GT racing. We talked to some of them about their season start on Saturday at Monza.
Watch out for these talented young guns this season and in the future!
Jonny Adam: Age - 28
#99 Beechdean AMR/Aston Martin Racing Vantage GT3
“The balance of the Aston Martin felt really good today and we achieved a new tyres lap straight away and we were high up in the times, which was nice to see. I think a lot of people went for new tyres runs at the end when the track was quicker but overall all we are really satisfied with the work done today, despite traffic being a big issue.
“Ideally you want to try and hook up with someone quick coming out of Ascari or Parabolica and get a tow but at the same time you don’t want to compromise yourself in the braking zones either so it is a tough balance.
“We are getting along nicely and our aims are to get on with it and see if we can try and qualify in the top 15 overall and there is no reason we cannot get in the top 8 here this weekend.”
Stefano Colombo: Age - 22
#26 Vita4one Racing BMW Z4
“This is my first year in Blancpain and it is very exciting for me to be here with these great teams and drivers in the series. To have my first race here in Monza is fantastic because I come from close to Brescia not that far away and so I have a lot of friends and family here this weekend which is nice.
“Last year I won the Italian GT Series which was nice but now I want to see what I can achieve in a good International series like Blancpain too. This series is the best GT competition there is and real test for a young driver so it is great to come to a top team like Vita4one Racing and work with these guys to learn more and hopefully have more success. Michael (Bartels) is a very motivated and good leader and is teaching me many things to help me in this level of racing.
“The big difference for me and for many others this year is the tyres. Last year we used Avon tyres and now we have the Pirellis but we are learning and adapting well. We will be contenders I hope but it is super tough because of so many very good competitors. But we will push very hard and never stop trying.”
Lucas Ordonez: Age – 27
Nissan GT Academy Team RJN Nissan GT-R NISMO GT3
“We knew that we would be strong here because we are good in a straight line but also on the brakes which is very important here at Monza. So it all looks positive for Sunday. Alex did well on the new rubber and set a quick time and then I got in on full-tanks and used tyres and I did good consistent times. So we have solid performance in both these set-ups on the car and we are all excited.
“McLaren and Porsche are quick on the straights too, maybe slightly faster but we have great balance at Lesmo and Ascari which we have worked hard on. We will try some more things in qualifying and we are confident it will be all as positive as it has been today.”
Philipp Eng: Age – 23
MRS GT Racing McLaren MP4-12C
“The McLaren feels great and today we are happy because we had a tough day on Friday with some small technical problems. The big updates from McLaren are getting understood properly now and we can all see the results which are fantastic.
“The competition is very tough in PRO-AM so it won’t be easy and we aim to have a strong finish here. With the traffic of 60 cars a lot will depend on cool heads and getting the basics right which we have been working on today. I am enjoying working and helping out Carlos (Kray) and Rodin (Younessi). So far we have gelled well and now we focus on qualifying where I think we can be in really good shape once more with the Molitor McLaren.”