Nurburgring: GT World Challenge Europe

Lamborghini Factory Driver Sandy, heads to the Nurburgring eyeing further Euro success with Black Bull and Barwell.

Fresh from two second place finishes in the latest double-header in the Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe Bronze Cup sprint races at Hockenheim, Sandy returns to Germany to contest the longer endurance format this weekend (July 27/28). The 24-year-old from Forfar will again partner team-mates, American-based Englishman Till Bechtolsheimer and Frenchman Antoine Doquin, in their No 78 Lamborghini Huracan GT3 Evo 2 prepared by Barwell Motorsport and backed by Dama Fortuna Tequila for the 50-car, three-hour race at the Nurburgring.

“It’s great to get back to the longer endurance race in the GT World Challenge Europe,” Sandy, personally backed by Huntly-based Black Bull Scotch Whisky and Tunnocks, stated. “Everyone in the Barwell team took a lot of confidence from the performances we delivered in the two 60-minute sprint races at Hockenheim, and we’re all determined to build on that.”

In addition to preparing a quick race car at Hockenheim, the Barwell crew delivered a blisteringly fast pitstop in the weekend’s second race to help catapult the #78 Lamborghini from sixth to second. “The guys always do a great job, but they excelled themselves at Hockenheim,” Sandy, the 2020 British GT champ, continued. “Now we feel we’re on a roll, and knowing how fast the car is we just need to keep our fingers crossed we finally get the little bit of luck we need to deliver another podium performance.”

In the last endurance round, the Spa 24-Hours, Sandy had moved the #78 up to second in the ultra-competitive Bronze Cup class after a scorching opening double-stint, only to see team-mate Bechtolsheimer pitched into the gravel after contact from a Mercedes. Having recovered back to the pits, later in the race the knock-on effect of the earlier contact came in the form of an oil warning light. The unscheduled repairs cost the team 20-minutes in the pits and all-but scuppered any hopes of a podium.

“Everyone knows we have a fast car, three super-quick drivers and a team which is one of the best when it comes to strategy and race preparation,” Mitchell said. “After the success at Hockenheim, we head to the Nurburgring fuelled to challenge at the front again.”