Duncan Tappy has been named as the top Pro-Am class driver of 2012 in the Blancpain Endurance Series.

Heading the list published on the series’ Moonlighting blog, he is described as winning the acolade for an excellent performance in his first season in a GT car.

It says: "It was a new team, a new discipline and a new car that – to begin with – was far from easy to be competitive in.

"Allied to the fact that with such a big entry, Duncan could have been ignored, he made sure he did an excellent job and got faster as the season wore on.

"His Navarra weekend was a stand-out and hopefully a bright GT future lies ahead."

Duncan, who is currently exploring options for racing in the series next year, said: "It was very good and positive year for me in 2012. To be with a team like ART and a manufacturer like McLaren was a dream come true.

"The Blancpain Endurance Series is a quality championship with great teams and drivers. I think it’s an absolutely brilliant championship and I think more and more people want to be involved in it.

"It’s by far the most competitive GT championship out there at present."

CJ driver Sam Bird looks back on his 2012 season.

So, as I fly off to India for the first time to resume my duties with MERCEDES AMG PETRONAS, I can reflect on the final round of the World Series by Renault championship and on my race season in its entirety.

After swapping the lead of the drivers’ championship all season with Jules (Bianchi) and Robin (Frijns), I arrived at the Barcelona "final" in third place but less than a win away from the lead. I knew that the outcome of the championship was not entirely in my own hands but my aim going into the weekend was to outscore both of them.

Things started quite well on Saturday when, starting from the second row of the grid, I took the lead of the race by turn two and began to stretch my legs at the front. However, the Arden Caterham car of Felix da Costa came with me. They say the best form of defence is attack and I certainly pushed hard, gradually building a big gap between myself and the rest of the field, which included my championship rivals... "The rest of the field", that is, except the Red Bull liveried car of da Costa that followed me like my own shadow.

While I worked overtime to push my car to its limits, I could see da Costa almost in cruise mode behind me. Had the race organisers mistakenly released Red Bull Racing’s RB6 F1 car onto the track early for its demo run? Joking aside, that’s what I felt like I was racing against.

With only a few laps to go, da Costa made a bold move and threw his car to the inside of the chicane. I saw him coming and with valuable points at stake, I had to yield to avoid contact. I tucked straight into its slipstream in the knowledge that my best opportunity to regain top spot would come immediately going into turn one. But by the time I got there, he was already approaching turn two! My concern that the speed differential was caused by a technical issue on my own car was dispelled by my pit crew informing me, via the pit board, that my gap to Frijns in third was eight seconds and increasing. As da Costa scampered away into the distance I had to settle for second and enjoyed a small measure of consolation from the fact that I had kept my championship challenge alive by beating Robin and Jules and closing the points gap.

As I would later find out, the fastest lap of the race was in fact not da Costa’s... it was Alex Rossi’s in the sister Arden Caterham car. Well done to all the guys at Arden Caterham. For the past few races, they have been in a league of their own.

Sunday qualifying was pretty awful in the wet. We had shown promise in free practice one in the rain by posting the second fastest time but by making some changes in an attempt to look for that precious missing tenth, which we knew could prove crucial in the title race, we ended up destroying the balance of the car. I did make up some positions courtesy of another good start and ended up outscoring Robin and Jules again but it wasn’t to be enough.

The "coming together" between Jules and Robin has been written and talked about a lot. I had a front row seat to witness the event and my view of it is clear: I think that Robin’s manoeuvre was no mistake. Having said that, I will pay Robin a deserved compliment: he is an extremely talented young driver who makes few mistakes. That being the case, it is quite unfortunate that when he does make a "mistake" by out-braking himself and missing the apex, who else should be just outside him but his closest championship rival Jules Bianchi...

The final race of many a championship, not least in Formula One, has featured such "racing incidents" and it is a shame that this one should end in this way. This year has seen some hard but fair wheel-to-wheel racing, which is what the spectators want to see. I have raced against Jules for a few seasons and he takes no prisoners but he is fair. As to whether the incident on Sunday was accidental or contrived will be debated for a long time.

At any rate, I feel that, over the course of the season, the Fortec-Frijns package has probably been the most consistently competitive and that they therefore deserve the title. As of the ISR-Bird package, our car has been far too hit-and-miss with too many rounds where it was wide of the mark. Despite that, we finish the championship just ten points off the top.

But I look back on this season with no regrets. I feel I have driven well, extracted every ounce of performance from the package at my disposal and maximised my opportunities. My team should look back at the season with pride as well. They gave everything they had and any mistakes that occurred were innocent. I will not forget the warm support and the honesty of Igor Salaquarda and his team.

My top-three memories of the season? Two of them are obvious: winning from pole at Monaco and winning my home race at Silverstone. The third is less so: coming through from last on the grid at Spa in the pouring rain to finish 5th after having been disqualified from a front row start because of a fuelling error. Of course I would much rather have started from the front row - perhaps my missing ten points were right there - but boy what a rush!

Many people have been asking me about my plans for next season. My own focus for now is to support MERCEDES AMG PETRONAS as much as I can until the end of this one first. Regarding 2013, all will be revealed soon and you will be the first to know!

http://en.espnf1.com/f1/motorsport/story/index.html?author=14

Duncan Tappy once again displayed the full extent of his talent in the final round of the Blancpain Endurance Series as he dominated proceedings in the ProAm Class to take pole position (p3 overall) and lead team ART GP to their first ever Blancpain victory.

Having taken over at the wheel of the number 12 McLaren GT from teammate Grégoire Demoustier in fifth place overall and second in class, Duncan battled his way up to second overall and ProAm class lead, courtesy of some inspired overtaking manoeuvres on several of the PRO class favourites.

With just over an hour left on the clock, Duncan handed back to Demoustier who was unable to retain the team’s overall podium position in the treacherous weather conditions and dropped down the order, but still brought the car home to take a well-deserved ProAm win.

"It was a really entertaining race for me, I was involved in tight battles throughout," Tappy said.

"I’m very happy for everybody at ART GP and McLaren GT who really deserve this win. The car was strong around here and at one point we were in pretty good shape for overall honours but it wasn’t to be.  Still, this is a perfect way to end the season and I hope for many more to come in the future with this team."

In his inaugural season in a GT championship, following his transition from single-seater racing, the Formula Ford Festival and Formula Renault Champion has shown that he is a force to be reckoned with in sports cars.

“Another difficult weekend for us”, reflected Sam after the penultimate weekend of the 2012 World Renault by Series Championship.

“Our car was quick in dry conditions but really not good in the wet. To be honest, the podium finish flatters us a little as our package was not competitive but I’m pleased to be able to give the team some small reward for their tireless efforts. Scoring points in both races means that we live to fight another day.”

“For sure, Jules (Bianchi) and Robin (Frijns) are statistically favourites over me to win the title now but statistics will count for little on the day. Anything can happen. I am within striking distance so they can’t afford any slip-ups.

“I know what I need to do in Barcelona and in many ways, my mindset will be easier than theirs. I’m looking forward to it.”

Duncan Tappy recovered from debilitating illness at the Nurburgring today to secure a remarkable ProAm Class podium, in the latest round of the Blancpain Endurance Series. The result marks the first ever podium finish in this Championship for both team ART Grand Prix and manufacturer McLaren GT.

The weekend had begun in promising fashion with Duncan topping the timesheets by over three tenths of a second in free practice on Saturday but the British driver fell ill overnight and felt a shadow of himself the following morning.

“I started feeling unwell Saturday evening and things went from bad to worse overnight. I was unable to keep anything down, which is not ideal going into an endurance race, and I didn’t get a minute’s sleep.

"This morning, I felt pretty week and dehydrated. I was struggling to stand, so needless to say that racing was a challenge. But I knew there was no other option. I had to find a way to put it to one side and fight through it, for my team mate, everyone at ART Grand Prix and McLaren GT. Let’s say it was a good save in the end.”

The final round of the Blancpain Endurance Series takes place at Navarra, Spain on 14th October.

The owner and team principal of World Series by Renault team I.S.R was full of praise for his driver after the Briton managed to secure points finishes in both races including a fourth place today, on a weekend when his car was blighted by technical issues.

Igor Salaquarda said: "This weekend was a very difficult one for team I.S.R. Despite our best efforts we really struggled with the setup of the cars and were never able to give our drivers a package that they could compete properly with.

"Sam’s issues were further compounded by engine problems that lead to an engine change on Saturday night.

"So the fact that Sam managed to get a point yesterday and only narrowly missed out on a podium today is quite exceptional and testament to his considerable talent and fighting spirit.

"We will regroup as a team and come back stronger for the next round at Paul Ricard."

Sam Bird continued the summer of outstanding success for British sport on home soil, as he took victory at Silverstone today in the latest round of the World Series by Renault Championship.

The I.S.R man’s weekend had started in challenging fashion when his newly-replaced engine caught fire during qualifying, but he showed impressive grit to recover from this early set-back to take a well-deserved win, his second of the season, in front of his home crowd.

He said: “This was a tough weekend for us but we stuck together as a team and dug very deep to pull out a great win. This win is just reward for our hard work and determination in the face of adversity.”

Having dominated proceedings at Monaco last weekend and led the way from the first turn of wheel all the way to the chequered flag, Sam Bird was presented with the diametrically opposite challenge this weekend on the circuit of Spa Francorchamps, for the third round of the 2012 World Series by Renault Championship: what could he achieve from last on the grid in close to zero-visibility conditions?

Indeed, having already secured another front row start followed by his third consecutive podium finish on Saturday, all seemed to be going to plan in Sunday’s qualifying session, this time in very wet conditions. Sam was on provisional pole with only a few minutes left on the clock and was on course to improve on his own lap time. However, he then ran out of fuel on track and in improving conditions, his time was bettered by two rivals in the final moments of the session.

World Series by Renault regulations state that there must be a set quantity of fuel left in the tank at the end of qualifying and Sam was consequently demoted to the back of the grid for the race.

In very difficult conditions, however, Sam sliced his way through the field, lap after lap, displaying a combination of pace, courage, opportunism and inch-perfect decision-making, to take the chequered flag in an impressive fifth place.

"The team were very upset with themselves for the fuelling mistake in qualifying," said Bird after Sunday’s race, "but these things can happen and we stuck together as always. We win as a team, we lose as a team and on a weekend when things didn’t particularly go our way, we still extracted everything possible to get the best results available. From that perspective, we have to be satisfied with the outcome of the weekend."

The next round of the World Series by Renault Championship takes place at the Nürburgring on 30th June - 1st July.

www.cjmotorsport.co.uk

ART Grand Prix driver Duncan Tappy believes his team took a major step towards becoming contenders in the Blancpain Endurance Series at a rain-soaked Silverstone on Sunday,

After a career spent mainly in single seaters, Tappy has switched to GT racing with the French squad for its debut in the pro-am class of the championship.

Tappy topped pro-am qualifying, putting the team’s McLaren MP4-12C third overall on the grid, and he and team-mate Grégoire Demoustier were on course for a podium for most of the three-hour race until a late electrical fault sent the Frenchman tumbling down the standings in the final minutes.

Despite the outcome, Tappy sees the weekend as a clear sign that the squad is becoming a force to be reckoned with in the championship.

He said: "In only our second GT race we showed we are capable of challenging for victory in the pro-am class - and even of mixing it with the pro teams on merit. We have some work still to do before we can sustain this sort of level across a whole race weekend, but Silverstone clearly shows the enormous potential of this team.

"We were fast and we were good until a bit of an issue happened, but we’re very positive about the pace. It’s always been there and I think it’s going to stay there. We’ll take what we learned from this weekend and come back even stronger at Paul Ricard - we just need to keep working as a team to get that end result and I don’t think we’re too far away from that."

Sam Bird (I.S.R.) denied his opponents even a sniff of success in the streets of Monaco, leading the weekend’s proceedings from free practice to chequered flag.

The Mercedes AMG F1 Team driver claimed victory in the principality ahead of Jules Bianchi (Tech 1 Racing) and Alexander Rossi (Arden Caterham), and finishes the meeting top of the Formula Renault 3.5 Series championship.

He said: “Everything went like a dream. It’s an impressive thing to win in Monaco, so I’m a bit emotional. Huge credit must go to the I.S.R. team, who have done a brilliant job. We’re top of the championship this evening, but that’s not the most important part - there’s still such a long way to go.”

Under sunny skies in Monaco, the curtain-raiser for the 70th Formula One Grand Prix in the principality got under way with Bird lining up on pole on a grid packed with drivers and famous names from the world of motorsport and Formula One.

Bird got away quickest as the lights went out and held the lead, with Bianchi passing Rossi to move into second. The pair began to quickly pull away from the chasing pack, which was unable to keep up with the pace set by the leader.

The I.S.R. racer kept his rival firmly behind him all for the whole contest, taking victory by almost 2.7secs.

Earlier in the weekend, Bird had topped both free practice and qualifying, setting a time a full second faster than anyone else in his qualifying group.

He said: “I’m very pleased to be back on pole here – huge credit to everyone at I.S.R. This car is great to drive on the streets of Monaco.”

Sam Bird’s World Series by Renault campaign got off to a promising start at Motorland, Spain, as he scored his first podium on his debut in World Series by Renault.

"I have to be reasonably satisfied with the overall weekend because it’s fair to say that we struggled a little with our set-up here. Having said that, while I think there’s still some work ahead to be really competitive, I want to give huge credit to my team I.S.R who worked extremely hard throughout the weekend. I’m confident we’re headed in the right direction," said Bird.

"Next weekend my focus turns to my duties with Mercedes at the F1 Spanish GP, but after that I’m very much looking forward to linking up again with I.S.R for the second round of the Championship in Monaco."

The second round of the 2012 World Series by Renault season takes place in Monaco on 24th-27th May, alongside the Formula One Grand Prix.

Following an impressive display in the first round of the Blancpain Endurance Series at Monza, British driver Duncan Tappy has been signed up by world-renowned racing team ART Grand Prix to spearhead their new foray into international GTs’ for the remainder of the season. 

The Brit, a two time McLaren Autosport Award finalist, will be racing the McLaren MP4-12C GT3, in tandem with French driver Grégoire Demoustier.

Tappy has enjoyed notable success as a single-seater driver. He is a Formula Ford Festival Winner and Formula Renault UK Champion and has scored podiums and wins in Auto GP and Superleague Formula.

ART GP, owned by Frédéric Vasseur and Nicolas Todt, have dominated international junior single-seater categories for the past decade, achieving a record number of wins and titles in GP2, F3 Euroseries and GP3 and setting the likes of Lewis Hamilton, Sebastien Vettel, Nico Rosberg, Nico Hulkenberg, Paul di Resta, Romain Grosjean, Jamie Green and Tiago Monteiro on the road to enduring success as racing drivers.

Frédéric Vasseur said: "At ART Grand Prix, we have always set the bar very high in terms of what we aim to achieve in any category we enter. Therefore, we knew that we wanted our inaugural season in GT racing to be lead by a driver with pace, intelligence and full commitment to the team’s cause.

"I was already aware of Duncan through his titles in single-seater racing and he definitely confirmed to us that he is the right man for the job, during the first round of the Blancpain Endurance Series at Monza. We are therefore very pleased to have signed him for the rest of the season."

Duncan Tappy said: "I am delighted to be teaming up with two of most prestigious names in international motor sport in ART Grand Prix and McLaren.  The car had a few normal teething issues at Monza but we were very competitive for most of the race and we managed to bring it home in the end.

"It’s already obvious that the ART-McLaren package has huge potential and I am really relishing the challenge ahead of contributing to their success in this category."

The second round of the Blancpain Endurance Series takes place on 2-3 June at Silverstone.

Watch CJ driver Sam Bird interviewed by Sky Sports at the F1 Chinese Grand Prix after his Mercedes AMG Petronas team took victory with Nico Rosberg.

SKY F1 Interview with Sam Bird (Reserve Driver) at F1 Chinese GP after Nico Rosberg picked up the first win for Mercedes GP from CelebFilms.co.uk on Vimeo.

Watch CJ driver Sam Bird interviewed by the BBC’s Jake Humphrey and David Coulthard at the Malaysian Grand Prix.

F1 Forum - Interview with Sam Bird at the 2012 F1 Malaysian GP from CelebFilms.co.uk on Vimeo.

GP2 race winner Sam Bird will join front-running World Series by Renault team ISR for an assault on the 2012 championship title. Sam will also continue his duties with the MERCEDES AMG PETRONAS Formula One Team in Brackley and during the Formula One race weekends.

Team ISR have recent history with Formula One reserve drivers, having last year run Daniel Ricciardo, who has now graduated to a Formula One race seat at Toro Rosso.

The Prague-based team have enjoyed much success since entering the World Series by Renault Championship two years ago, having finished Vice-Champions in 2010 and third in 2011 in the Team Championship and having won multiple races along the way, including Monaco last season.
 
Igor Salaquarda, ISR Team Principal, said: "I am very happy to have Sam in my team. He has experience of both Formula One and GP2 and I feel confident that his talent will help us on the way to more success. We will do our maximum to prepare the best cars for both our drivers and dearly hope to win our first World Series by Renault Championship title with them."

Sam Bird said: "I am extremely pleased about this opportunity to drive for ISR in World Series by Renault. World Series is a great Championship in which numerous Formula One drivers have shone in the past, and this year’s field seems to be particularly competitive. ISR have a proven track record and I am really looking forward to joining forces with them."