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| Photo by: Xynamic Motorsport Photography |
Is it just me, or is there something not quite right about Ecurie
Ecosse’ return to the tracks this year? Is this a portent of things to come?
Has Ecurie Ecosse achieved something about which Wee Eck can only dream? Have
we finally become an independent nation that has embraced Europe?
With hot pies and pizza crunch under threat from the UK VAT man,
are we about to embrace sauerkraut and bratwurst? Is this the beginning of the
end – a Scottish-German partnership?
The news that Ecurie Ecosse will campaign, of all things, a German
car this year will upset some of the diehards. The team which was synonymous
with Jaguar and Le Mans, Aston Martin and Austin Rover, Mallock and Vauxhall
will be running a BMW Z4 GT3 in the British GT Championship and pan-European
Blancpain Endurance Series.
The team will debut the new car at Oulton Park next weekend (April
7-9) on the opening round of the British GT Championship. The following weekend
they’re off to Monza for the opening event in the 2012 Blancpain Endurance
Series.
Two Scottish drivers, Andrew Smith and Alasdair McCaig, will be
joined by English drivers Oliver Bryant and Joe Twyman in the driver line-up.
The team has just concluded a deal with London's foremost historic
automobile specialists, Fiskens, to run in their colours with Fiskens joining team
supporters John Clark Motor Group, Cotton Tree, Bremont and Ragus.
But here’s the thing, Gregor Fisken actually drove for Ecurie
Ecosse ten years ago taking third place in the Group C2
class at the 2002 Nurburgring 24 Hours - in a BMW M3.
John,
ReplyDeleteIts just you....
I have been a die hard fan of Ecosse for years and am delighted to see the brand back on the map!
If you look at the heritage and history of Ecosse they have always strived to be at the front and by coincidence the tools to enable them to do this job have always been British...
I would much rather Ecosse were back on track with a German car with the possibility of wins than to be back on track in an British car (lets face it none of manufacturers are actually British anymore)running at the back...Or even worse not at all!
Let me back that up..
Jaguar- No GT3 car.
Aston- Supply issues with their new GT3 car and the old DBRS9 will be hopelessly un-competitive.
Vauxhall- No GT3 car.
Etc etc etc.
The option of a British car for 2012 is just not there for them..
Having followed things closely I know that the drivers are much more than just that. They have masterminded the whole comeback.... To have set about raising half a million pounds in the current climate to get the team back on the map is no mean feat and I applaud them...
If we are being really picky...all the above manufacturers are English and Ecosse won Le Mans in an English car.... So.... I would suggest that as an independant nation Ecosse embraced Europe a long time ago!
I will support the team going forwards with whatever car they happen to be driving!