Jota Sport will be looking for further success this weekend as the latest round of the European Le Mans Series takes to the track at the Red Bull ring in Austria.
Since winning the last ELMS race at Imola two months ago now, the team scored a brilliant LMP2 class victory – an amazing fifth overall – in the Le Mans 24 Hours last month just last month, and their season looks to be going from strength to strength.
Simon Dolan and Harry Tincknell are joined again by Filipe Albuquerque for the four-hour Austrian race. The Dunlop-shod JOTA Zytek started from pole-position last year thanks to Oliver Turvey who co-drove with Dolan and Tincknell at Le Mans.
Having led from the start, a stop-go penalty at mid-distance meant only a fourth place finish in last year’s corresponding three-hour race around the 2.688-mile track and Jota are looking to finish in the top three this time around.
JOTA Sport has started both 2014 ELMS races from “pole”, Tincknell and Albuquerque securing the fastest times at Silverstone and Imola respectively. Meanwhile JOTA Group partner Dolan, who had unluckily suffered contact with a GT3 Ferrari when leading the Silverstone “opener” with less than an hour remaining, drove a storming final stint up against very experienced professional drivers to the chequered flag at Imola.
Speaking ahead of the weekend, Dolan said: “I love the Red Bull Ring. We raced there for the first time last year in LM P2 and would have won but for a pit lane speed indiscretion which was most unfortunate.
“The track suits the Zytek quite well with its quick corners and the importance of the traction coming out of the slow ones. It’s also a bit old school in terms of so little ‘get out of jail free’ run off areas – if you go off there you are likely to end up in the gravel. A track like this really focuses the mind.
“Our aim has to be for another win – we need it to go ahead in the championship – but we also can’t ignore the importance of getting a good haul of points, and so staying out of trouble will be equally important.”
Dolan/Tincknell/Albuquerque and JOTA Sport start the Austrian race second in the Driver’s and Teams’ standings – eight points off the lead. A grid of 36-cars, including 10 LM P2 sportscars, is expected to contest the four-hour race on Sunday that starts at 1pm.
Looking forward to getting behind the wheel this weekend once again, Albuquerque added: “It will be almost two months since I raced the Zytek having done the Spa 6 Hours and Le Mans 24 Hours with Audi Sport Team Joest. I will need some laps to reacclimatise but I’m not worried because I already know our Zytek, JOTA and the track.
“We are in a good championship position but that does not mean we will relax – we are hungry for another victory! The team is highly motivated from recent races.
“My first time at the Red Bull Ring was in 2011 and my last visit was last year – both occasions in DTM for Audi – and I was always fast there. It’s a really nice track with a very smooth surface featuring quick corners and long straights that combine to provide good races.”