Archive News - October 2011
30 October
2011
Freddy claims British GT award
After his first full season in endurance motor racing, Freddy has recently been able to claim his prize. After finishing the season joint on points with second place and classified third overall in the Avon Tyres British GT Championship GT4 Class Freddy has recently collected his prestigious trophy (left).
18 October
Freddy enjoys return to Porsche Carrera Cup
Just one week after he concluded his inaugural season in endurance racing, Freddy Nordström has enjoyed a successful return to the Porsche Carrera Cup GB Championship.
Held at the infamous Silverstone circuit last weekend (15th-16th October) the season finale of the prestigious championship saw Freddy contest the Pro-AM 1 category. Armed with his GT Marques run Porsche machine Freddy set out a number of goals ahead of the weekend, which he was pleased to achieve.
“The Porsche Carrera Cup is a championship anyone should be proud to be a part of. As I haven’t done the full season this year I was obviously not expecting to be challenging for championship glory. However our goal was to get out on track and see where we are compared to everyone else,” said Freddy.
After an extremely close qualifying on Saturday, Freddy lined up on the grid yesterday lunch time (Sunday 16th October) ready for race one. Watched by not only the thousands of fans in attendance trackside, but also the thousands who tuned in to ITV4 to watch live, a good start propelled Freddy up the grid.
As he enjoyed a fierce in-class battle, fluid left on the track by one of the front runners caused a number of cars to inadvertently spin. Caught up in the melee and unable to do anything, Freddy was launched into a minor spin courtesy of the slippery track surface.
As he rejoined the track, Freddy noticed low oil pressure in his Porsche machine, and to refrain from damaging the car he opted for the sensible decision to return to the pits in the closing stages.
Race two was another exciting challenge for the youngster. After being spun around at turn two, Freddy set about chasing his rivals. Together with blistering lap times, he was able to close the gap to his main challengers, before the chequered flag ended his fun.
“I’ve had a fantastic weekend,” exclaimed Freddy. “It was great to get back on track in the Porsche, and I was able to enjoy some close battles with the other drivers.
“The rest of the Pro-AM 1 class had 18 races and testing behind them before this round, whereas I had done just two races. So to be able to hassle them throughout the race was an achievement.
“I would like to extend a special thank you to Paul Callow and Ryan Mone for their support of the team during the weekend and of course to Paul Mace, Team Owner of GT Marques,” Freddy added.
9 October 2011
Freddy third as championship concludes
As the final race of the 2011 season came and went, racing ace Freddy Nordström is now reflecting on his inaugural season in the Avon Tyres British GT Championship.
Silverstone played host to the final adventure of the season, and after an eventful year, Freddy and team-mate Leyton Clarke were on the verge of providing their GT4 Class Lotus Sport UK team with championship honours. As they headed into the final round the pair were second in class, with an opportunity to steal the title; however as the season finale unfolded they were baulked by drama.
A change to the timetable for this one round saw the qualifying and two hour race both take place on Saturday (8th October). With a reshuffled schedule to accommodate new additions to the agenda Friday set out time for practice. However a shortened practice session allowed for less track time than normal.
Experience around the Silverstone Grand Prix layout came in abundance for Leyton, whilst Freddy found his feet around the 3.660 mile circuit in the Lotus Evora. After a combined 30 minute qualifying session, the pair had secured the fifth fastest time in class, as they awaited the race later that day.
As the final championship fight got underway, Freddy took hold of the opening stint of the race. A blast away from the line saw the youngster launch his way through the field, as he sailed passed his main title rival for a welcomed advantage.
As the initial hour neared an end Freddy slid into the pitlane to hand over to Leyton for the final hour, having exited from third place. As Leyton steered his way towards the chequered flag drama suddenly surrounded the twosome.
A fierce performance from the championship contending Lotus Evora saw Leyton retain Freddy’s earlier advantage. As he wrestled his way to second place he was soon called for a one second stop/go penalty as penance for a pitstop infringement.
On his way again Leyton would work his way back to third place as the two hours neared a conclusion. However, once again the Freddy/Leyton machine was not without drama, when their Lotus Evora ran dry of fuel just one and a half laps from the finish.
Despite their misfortune, Freddy and team-mate Leyton were able to salvage sixth place, having completed enough of the race to be classified. Their record of being the only driver pairing in the GT4 Class to have scored at every round remains intact. Although they missed out on the championship title, the Lotus duo equalised second place on points, before being classed as third.
Looking back on his inaugural season as an endurance racer, Freddy said: “It has certainly been a challenging season. We have been fairly consistent all year, however we have been haunted by bad luck on a number of occasions.
“We have almost tasted victory numerous times, but still it has been an experience. Leyton and I are third in the 2011 British GT GT4 Championship standings and that is a feat to be proud of,” he added.
With his main focus now concluded for the year, Freddy is currently set to return to Silverstone next weekend to contest the final round of the Porsche Carrera Cup GB Championship.