Australia’s bid for Spa success has strengthened ahead of this weekend’s joint Porsche Carrera Cup Italy/France round with the late inclusion of a local race winner.
Young gun Nick McBride has struck a last minute deal to drive in the joint Porsche round, joining two fellow Australians, Townsville round winner Nick Foster and experienced racer Marc Cini, on the grid.
Teammates in Australia, Foster and McBride will continue to race side-by-side in Belgium; both racing with French outfit Almeras Racing.
McBride will also bring experience of the Spa-Francorchamps circuit having raced on the famous 7km track during the 2012 British Formula 3 season.
“It’s really exciting to head back to Spa this weekend for the joint Carrera Cup round. I’d known about the event for some time but never considered racing there until I spoke to my teammate Nick Foster in Townsville. It sounded like an amazing opportunity so I made a few calls and was able to secure a last minute drive,” said McBride, who won the opening Albert Park race in March.
“I drove at Spa in 2012 in Formula 3 and, while it was a great experience, it was a pretty soggy event so I’m hoping for clear skies and great racing in Belgium this weekend.
“It’s great to be joining Nick at Almeras Racing. When you’re out of your comfort zone we search for as much familiarity as possible. I’ll be racing an identical Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car that I race in Australia and I’ll have Foster’s face around the garage which will also help throughout the weekend; we work very well as teammates in Australia and I’m sure we’ll help each other succeed at Spa.”
The joint Porsche Carrera Cup Italy/France round will also feature two drivers from the Porsche Carrera Cup Asia championship – outright points leader, New Zealander Chris van der Drift, and Class B frontrunner and former Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Australia racer, Yuey Tan.
Cini, Foster and McBride will first hit the Spa-Francorchamps circuit on Thursday July 23 for opening practice followed by qualifying on Friday July 24 and the 45 minute Carrera Cup race on Saturday July 25.