Virgin Racing Driver moves to second in championship

22nd November 2014

Sam Bird has taken victory in the second round of the 2014-15 Formula E Championship after a flawless performance around the streets of Putrajaya, Malaysia.

Paying tribute to his team, he said: "The guys at Virgin Racing did an amazing job this weekend. We’ve really turned it around from pre-season and I’ve got to say thanks to them for giving me a great car today.

"Virgin Racing are a team newly formed for Formula E, and for us to have two podiums in two races, a win already, and for me to be sitting here alongside Abt and e-dams, great credit has to go to them. It’s going to take something special to keep beating these guys but I’m looking forward to the rest of the championship."

The result puts Bird second in the championship on 40 points, three behind leader Lucas di Grassi and more than 20 ahead of a four-way tie for third.

He dedicated the win to his former GP2 team-mate Jules Bianchi, who was seriously injured in a Formula One accident: "I want to dedicate this win to a good friend of mine who is currently very ill. We all know him and wish for him to make a full recovery. This win is for Jules Bianchi."

Bird’s victory topped a day in which he made his mark from the opening laps, setting the pace in free practice and qualifying on the front row of the grid.

He hounded pole-sitter Oriol Servia from the start, seizing the lead after the first safety car period with a brilliant inside cutback exiting Turn 3 that gave him position to strike at the right-hand Turn 4.

The Briton then set a series of fastest laps to build a gap of more than seven seconds, but his speed did not prevent him from efficiently managing the power consumption of his car and he was the last driver to pit for the swap to a fully-charged replacement.

By then, a second safety car period had cost him track position and he lost the lead during the pit stops, but his pace allowed him to fight back. Lapping up to 1.5 seconds faster than the rest of the field, Bird retook the lead with three laps of the street circuit remaining and cruised home to register a 4.175sec victory over the chasing pack.

He said: "It has been an amazing weekend for myself and the Virgin Racing team. We were quick from the first outing and quickest in practice. Qualifying didn’t quite go our way as I think we were not in the best group for doing a fast lap time but we put that right in the race.

"The first stint is where we did the damage. With the second car, I just got it around really - there was no real need to push and I just conserved the energy. I knew other people were pushing and getting closer, but we had it well under control.

"I made some nice moves when I had to when overtaking Abt and Servia, but other than that it was all about being quick and sensible."

Virgin Racing team principal Alex Tai said: "Sam drove a fantastic race and we are all thrilled to be top of the podium. It was a challenging circuit and credit to Sam, who dominated from the start with skillful and clever driving. We’ve got a great team of drivers and engineers and I’m really proud of the result."

Bird’s victory, combined with the bonus points earned by his ninth-placed team-mate Jaime Alguersuari for setting the fastest lap, put Virgin Racing second in the championship by a single point from Audi Sport Abt. Round three of the championship takes place in Punta del Este, Uruguay, on December 13.

Photos by Michael Hoyer - Jakob Ebrey/LAT/Formula E.

Virgin Racing scored 15 race points today as Sam Bird finished in 3rd place and Jaime Alguersuari finished 11th in the FIA Formula E Championship opening race at the Olympic Park in Beijing. British driver Sam Bird started in eleventh place on the grid having qualified with a time of 1:42:918 and quickly moved up four places.
 
Both drivers raced aggressively in an action-packed race around the streets of Beijing as thousands lined the track to watch the very first FIA Formula E race. Overtaking three drivers in quick succession, Bird spent a majority of the race in sixth before a close fight with Karun Chandhock of Mahindra lost him a place. This didn’t last long, and Bird made his way to the front and managed to fight for a podium place.
 
Sam Bird, Virgin Racing (3rd position), said, "The main point from today is that Nick Heidfeld is okay after the accident that took place. As the Virgin Racing team, we are delighted with today’s results. I’m so proud of the team and what we managed to do here in Beijing. This is the first ever race under this set up and to achieve a podium finish here is fantastic. The first ever Formula E race had all the action and for Virgin to be a part of this is incredible."
 
Jaime Alguersuari, Virgin Racing driver (11th position), said, "Today was a lot of fun and it was great to finally be out racing in Formula E. It was very difficult though and the competition between the drivers is incredible. Today proved that it is going to be very close throughout the Championship. I thought that I would be able to improve from starting in seventh on the grid, but I had a few problems with the car at points in the race and I was not completely comfortable with the set-up of my second car following my car change. This is definitely something we will look into before Malaysia.

Alex Tai, Virgin Racing Team Principal: "I am very proud of the guys today and I thought they did a great job. We picked the two drivers to race for Virgin Racing because we loved the way they race and enjoyed watching them attack corners and drive tactically, which they have done today. We have a lot to take away from today, and we know that there is still a lot to learn about these cars and how we can get the best out of them, but to have started the Championship with 15 points, we can leave Beijing happy."

Round 2 will take place in Putrajaya, Malaysia on 22nd November 2014.

Duncan Tappy rose to the challenge of his first-ever 24 hour endurance race with a successful assault on the prestigious Total 24 Hours of Spa, the fourth round of the Blancpain Endurance Series.

The champion single-seater racer has established himself as one of the best sports car drivers in the business since his switch two seasons ago, but this was his first opportunity to race through the night.

The event was also the first 24-hour race for the all-new Continental GT3 race car, which showed it has great potential in the discipline with both cars finishing strongly in the top 20.

Duncan’s #8 machine suffered misfortune early in the race with team mate Antoine Leclerc involved in a small collision on the second lap, damaging the front left track-rod. A 15-minute pit stop to fit a replacement cost six laps, with Leclerc re-joining the race in last place, P61.

However the Bentley Boys were undeterred and, over the course of the next 18 hours, they guided the car steadily up through the rankings, avoiding all of the on-track incidents, to sit P16.

From that point and for the last six hours of the race, Duncan, Leclerc and Jerome d’Ambrosio were able to strengthen their midfield position through good race strategy, consistent pace and very quick pit stops to take the chequered flag in 17th place of 61 starters, a remarkable feat considering their early woes.

Duncan said: "The race was a real challenge and incident-packed, so it was really all about maintaining a fast consistent pace while trying to stay out of trouble.

"There were quite a few nasty crashes out there so we really needed to keep our wits about us, especially during the night, and that’s what we managed to do. The majority of the drivers thankfully walked away unhurt but, to the few not so fortunate, I’d like to express my best wishes for a fast and full recovery.

"From the team’s point of view, the M-Sport boys did a fantastic job as usual and the Bentley Continental GT3 has once again proven its competitiveness and reliability. A big thank you to everyone at Bentley and M-Sport and to my team mates, Jerome and Antoine. I’m already looking forward to the next round of the Blancpain Endurance Series at the Nurburgring."

Virgin Racing Formula E team announces its 2014 driver line up

Virgin announced today that Sam Bird and Jaime Alguersuari will join the Virgin Racing Formula E Team to drive for the 2014 Formula E Championship season. The competitive line up reflects Virgin’s desire to create a winning team in the first season of Formula E.

Sam Bird is an exciting young driver and proven race winner who narrowly missed out on the GP2 Series title last season after claiming an impressive five victories. Prior to this he has been shortlisted for the McLaren Autosport BRDC Award, enjoyed successful campaigns in Formula Renault 3.5 and sampled Formula One machinery for both the Williams and Mercedes F1 teams.

The youngest ever-driver to make a Formula One appearance, Alguersuari is also an exciting young talent. After success in the Formula Junior Series, Formula Renault Euro race including taking the Championship in his debut year, his F1 debut in the Toro Rosso race seat saw him produce a string of strong performances including two top ten finishes.

Sir Richard Branson, founder of Virgin, said: "Jaime and Sam are young yet experienced drivers and fantastic guys off the racetrack to boot. I’m delighted to welcome them both to the Virgin Racing family. Jamie has demonstrated speed and talent at the very highest level whilst Sam is a proven race winner. I am sure they will be a formidable force on the circuits, let sparks fly!"

Alex Tai, Team Principal of Virgin Racing Formula E Team, said: "Jaime and Sam are exceptional talents and real fighters on the racetrack, who bring with them experience of Formula One and racing at the highest level. Virgin has always been renowned for its technological innovation and for backing young talent, and we’re looking forward to giving both drivers the equipment they deserve to show just how good they are."

Sam Bird, Virgin Racing Formula E Driver, said: "Formula E is going to be a brilliant experience and I can’t wait to get started on what will be an exciting new challenge in my career. I know I’m going to be driving the latest in electric vehicle technology and I’m looking forward to testing myself around the streets of some of the world’s most amazing cities."

Jaime Alguersuari, Virgin Racing Formula E Driver, said: "I’m thrilled to be driving for an organisation like Virgin. I’m going to be driving for a great team with a wealth of experience and I can’t wait to get out on the streets and put these cars to the test."

Sam Bird made an immediate impact on the World Endurance Championship on his Series debut at Silverstone, as he combined with Michele Rugolo to secure the Am class pole on Saturday by a margin of 0.991 to the second placed Aston Martin of Pedro Lamy.

In Sunday’s race, with Australian gentleman driver Steve Wyatt joining the fold, Sam lead the team to a hard-fought podium finish.

With the sister AF Corse 51 car driven by Bruni and Vilander securing the PRO class pole on Saturday, AF Corse Ferrari had been hopeful of multiple trophies.

Unfortunately however, the heavy rain that fell in the final stages of the race was particularly penalising to the Ferrari cars and the team had to settle for a solitary podium finish with Bird, Rugolo and Wyatt.

"We showed we had the outright pace by putting our car on pole by quite a big margin,” said Sam.

"However, we tend to lose relative competitiveness in the extreme wet, which is why our cars struggled towards the end of the race. Gimmi (Bruni) and Toni (Vilander) were looking good for some silverware as well in the PRO class but it wasn’t to be. 

"Huge credit to my team mates Michele and Steve and to the whole team at AF Corse Ferrari for fighting so hard for this podium in conditions that were quite unfavourable to us."

• 2014 Blancpain Endurance Series underway after opening round
• Continental GT3s finish a hard-fought 7th and 8th at Monza
• Great foundation to build on over the season

(Monza, 13th April 2014) Team M-Sport Bentley open their 2014 racing account with a strong performance at the first race of the Blancpain Endurance Series in Monza, Italy. After three hours of racing in sunny and warm conditions at the famous circuit, the two Continental GT3s finished line astern in 7th and 8th positions. Car 8, driven by Antoine Leclerc, Jérôme D’Ambrosio and Duncan Tappy moved from 13th on the grid to finish 7th, just ahead of Car 7 piloted by Andy Meyrick, Guy Smith and Steven Kane.

While the racing was challenging in itself, the really hard work started after the Saturday qualifying session. With Steven Kane having set the fourth fastest lap time, on his final lap just before the end of the session he carried too much speed in to the Ascari chicane and hit the wall nose-first. Fortunately, a combination of the strength of the Continental GT body from which the GT3 is built and the skill of the mechanics from M-Sport Bentley meant an overnight rebuild was possible, and by 10am on Sunday morning the car was ready to race.

Brian Gush, Bentley’s Director of Motorsport, comments: "This weekend has been a very good opening test of our cars and team. We’ve learnt a great deal and have many areas where we can make small improvements, but the whole team worked extremely hard and we’re very pleased with two top ten finishes in our first competition race. During the race the cars were strong and our drivers put in great performances, and I’m looking forward to being able to build from here at the next race at Silverstone."

Steven Kane drove the final stint of the race in Car 7. He comments: "I’m really pleased with our performance here this weekend. Fortunately my pride was damaged more than the car after the crash on Saturday afternoon, and the mechanics did an amazing job overnight to have our car ready. In the race, Andy and Guy put in two very good stints to mean I could focus on bringing the car home safely. This is good start to our season and I already can’t wait to be back behind the wheel in a few weeks for the next round."

Car 8 had an even better race, after Jérôme D’Ambrosio drove a superb stint that brought the car from 12th to 6th. He says: "Before this weekend I’d only driven the Continental GT3 once, so to be able to get in this weekend and be straight on the pace shows how well balanced the car is. I thoroughly enjoyed my stint, and I was able to lean on the car and make up a few places. We’ve learnt a lot about our car and our competition, and despite our good finish I know there’s more to come."

The story of the race

Car 7 started the race in 4th, with opening driver Andy Meyrick able to overtake two Ferrari 458s off the line to lie 2nd after the opening lap. He then held off the same two Ferraris for 15 laps, despite repeated contact from one, before eventually needing to manage his rear tyres and ceding the place. When two cars ahead of him touched on lap 28 and dropped oil, Andy lost time but managed to stay on the track. He pitted from 7th place on lap 32, when Guy Smith took over. Traffic in the pit lane and a failed wheel nut meant a slow stop, and Guy resumed in 15th. Guy’s racing experience then shone through, and over the 34 laps of his stint he made up five places to bring the car in on lap 66 in 10th place to hand over to Steven Kane with a quick and efficient pit stop. After the rest of the field had pitted, Steven was in 9th and immediately among the quickest cars on the track. He made up one place over his 30 laps to finish 8th, just behind the sister Continental GT3.

Car 8 started further back on the grid in 13th, despite setting a qualifying time just 0.3 secs slower than that of Car 7. Antoine Leclerc started the race, also passing two cars on the opening lap. By the time he entered the pits to hand the car to Jérôme D’Ambrosio, he’d progressed to 8th place. After the field had stopped Jérôme found himself 12th, but then went on a charge - taking six places to then pit on lap 64 in 6th place. Duncan Tappy emerged from the pit stop window in 7th after a very fast service from the pit crew, and despite chasing down the ROAL BMW over the course of his 32 lap stint he settled for a 7th place finish at the chequered flag.

Looking forward

With an encouraging result from their first race, M-Sport Bentley is looking forward to the next race and the rest of the Blancpain Endurance Series. The next race is the British round, at the internationally renowned Silverstone circuit in Northamptonshire over the weekend of 24th-25th May.

Sportscar newcomer and ex-Mercedes Formula 1 reserve Sam Bird will join the AF Corse Ferrari team at the Le Mans 24 Hours in June.

The Briton, who is contesting the four United SportsCar Championship enduros with the Starworks Prototype Challenge team this year, will race a GTE Am class Ferrari 458 Italia at Le Mans and next month’s World Endurance Championship opener at Silverstone.

AF Corse team manager Batti Pregliasco confirmed that Sam, 27, will take the place of Ferrari factory driver Andrea Bertolini and will share the car with WEC regular Michele Rugolo and Australian Steve Wyatt.

Sam, the 2013 GP2 runner-up, said: "It’s great that AF has given me this chance and get a start in a new form of racing for me."

Original text - Gary Watkins, Autosport

Today Team M-Sport Bentley announces its driver line-up for the 2014 motorsport season with a vastly experienced international team. Six Bentley Boys will drive two Continental GT3 race cars, starting with the five races of the 2014 Blancpain Endurance Series, looking to put Bentley back on the top step of the podium.
 
The first car sees the continuation of the all-British driver line-up that powered the Continental GT3 to a s tunning fourth-placed debut at the Gulf 12 Hours in Abu Dhabi last December. Long-standing Bentley Boy and Le Mans 24-Hours winner Guy Smith will drive with experienced GT3 racers Steven Kane and Andy Meyrick. Balancing a range of different experience between them, Smith, Kane and Meyrick have shown a great working relationship, second only to an impressive turn of speed.
 
The second Continental GT3 will be piloted by a European driving team. Englishman Duncan Tappy will be partnered with Frenchman Antoine Leclerc and Belgian former F1-racer Jérôme D’Ambrosio, who makes his GT3 debut after several successful years of  open-wheel racing.
 
Brian Gush, Bentley’s Director of Motorsport, comments: “Our six modern day Bentley Boys give me great confidence for the year ahead. The selection process has been tough after having had so much interest, but these six racers have shown the prodigious talent combined with the experienced, dedicated approach that we need. The whole team is now in final preparations for the season ahead, and we’re all extremely eager to get to Monza so that the real racing can begin.”
 
The Modern Day Bentley Boys 
 
Duncan Tappy started racing at the age of 10, competing and winning in various open-wheel championships. His experience includes A1GP, the Monza 1000 km Le Mans Series race, Porsche Carrera Cup and the Superleague Formula. He has spent the last two years driving GT3 cars in the UK and Europe.
 
Antoine Leclerc becomes the first French Bentley Boy since Jean Chassagne in the 1920s. An accomplis hed racing driver with a decade of GT experience, Antoine drove full seasons of the Blancpain Endurance Series, including the 24 Hours of Spa, in both 2012 and 2013.
 
Former F1-driver Jérôme d’Ambrosio has enjoyed a high-profile career that has progressed from karting to the pinnacle of motorsport. After working up the open-wheel racing ladder, Jérôme drove for Virgin Racing in the F1 World Championship in 2011. He finished 16 Grand Prix in 2011, including two 14th place results in Australia and Canada.
 
Guy Smith has been a Bentley Boy since 2001, and drove the Speed 8 Prototype to victory at Le Mans in 2003. Since then he has raced in the USA in the former ALMS championship, including winning the title in 2012.
 
Steven Kane has enjoyed a fifteen-year career so far, racing primarily in touring cars and sports cars. He competed in the Blancpain Endurance Series last year with JRM, finishing the championship in fourth position.
 
Andy Meyrick has a proven track-record that includes a fourth place finish at the 24 Hours of Le Mans and experience in British F3, VLN and GT3 categories. Last year, Andy spent time racing on both sides of the Atlantic, in the Blancpain Endurance Series in Europe and as lead driver for the innovative DeltaWing Racing programme in the USA.
 

Having already turned heads at the Roar Before The 24 test three weeks ago, by setting a new Daytona Speedway track record on his sports car debut, Sam Bird was back at the wheel of the #8 Starworks Motorsport Prototype Challenge car for his first ever endurance race this weekend in the Rolex 24 at Daytona.

The Briton was once again the quickest man in class, setting the fastest lap of the race in a 1:43.016, but he was keen to underplay this accomplishment and point out that his achievement lay elsewhere:

"Of course it’s important to be able to outpace the opposition - as we saw in the Prototype class, the win can go down to the very last lap," said Bird.

"But success in endurance racing is about the ability to set consistently fast laps, while staying out of trouble. My approach was measured aggression and focused decision-making and I’m pleased with how I performed.

"The team as a whole did well. Unfortunately, the car suffered a severe steering issue during Eric’s first stint and he had to bring it in. It took around forty minutes to resolve and we rejoined twenty laps adrift. We did make up good ground during the rest of the race but it was too big a handicap to overhaul in such a competitive field."

The #8 Starworks car finished 5th in class and top finisher of the team’s three cars.

Sam said: "I want to thank Peter Baron and the whole of the Starworks team who worked extremely hard throughout the weekend. I also want to say how much I enjoyed sharing my first Rolex 24 at Daytona experience with my team mates Mirco Schultis, Eric Lux and Renger van der Zande."

It was a weekend of firsts for Sam as he took part in the collective Tudor United Sports Car Championship test with Starworks Motorsports at the legendary Daytona International Speedway, Florida.

First time racing in the United States; first time driving a prototype sports car.

However the young Briton took to the new discipline like a duck to water, ending up fastest in class in both the day and night sessions and setting a new Daytona LMPC lap record in a time of 1:42.010.

Sam was at the test as a result of being signed up by Starworks Motorsports last month to compete for them in this season’s endurance races at Daytona, Sebring and Petit Le Mans.

He said: "This has been a productive first contact for me with endurance racing. The transition from single-seater racing has been very natural, which is good news as I am planning to pursue careers in sports cars and single-seaters concurrently.

"The team have made me feel at home right away and I want to thank Peter Baron and everyone at Starworks Motorsport for that. The fact that we have topped the time sheets is encouraging but of course there is more to come and I fully appreciate that the name of the game here is race-long consistency.

"With the other drivers and the Starworks team, this is already feeling like a pretty tightly-knit unit and I’m looking forward to joining up with them again for the race here at the end of the month".