6th August 2019
Fresh from the podium at the Spa 24 Hours, Strakka Racing next heads to Japan for the Suzuka 10 Hours, where the squad finished in second place overall in 2018. Competing in the penultimate round of the 2019 Intercontinental GT Challenge in Suzuka, Strakka Racing will be entering two Mercedes-AMG GT3’s into the event.
The team have strong form at the challenging Suzuka Circuit, challenging for the win at last year’s event until eventually settling for second. The winning team had Tristan Vautier on their squad, who joined Strakka for 2019 and will be racing as part of the #44 Pro trio.
Joining Tristan in the #44 will be car regulars Gary Paffett and Lewis Williamson. The #43 car will be comprised of Christina Nielsen, who took podium honours at the last race at Spa-Francorchamps, Dominik Baumann and Adrian Henry D’Silva.
The Suzuka 10 Hours will take place on Sunday 26 August, beginning at 10am local time.
Christina Nielsen (#43): “I’ve raced at Suzuka in the Asian Blancpain Series, but I understand the particular challenges of the Suzuka 10 Hours are the heat and tyre degradation, although the Mercedes-AMG is normally good on tyres, especially towards the end, so I’m hoping we can take advantage of that. I really enjoyed the last race with Strakka at Spa. The team did a great job and it was nice to finish on the podium. In endurance racing, you want to first finish, and Strakka showed that they handled challenges really well and that I’m in good hands. I’m arriving with a bit of experience of the track so hopefully we’ll be in good shape.”
Tristan Vautier (#44): “I’m really happy to go back to Suzuka, I really enjoyed it last year and it’s one of my favourite tracks in the world. There are a lot of different types of corners and very flowing sections with good rhythm. The high levels of tyre degradation makes the race interesting. I’m very happy to be competing there with Strakka and the track should suit Mercedes-AMG well. Last year I was part of the winning team and Strakka were our main competitors for the win so I’m hopeful our car will be very competitive. We have a strong line-up and we’ve been working well together and we’ve been fast. Now it’s time for us to get a good result this season and we’re looking forward to it. It’s always a cool event with amazing fans, hopefully I can be on the podium again there!”
Jay Davenport, Strakka Racing Director: “After a strong performance at the last round, we’re eager to get back on track and continue our momentum. For a number of reasons, despite showing brilliant pace and quality this season, the #44 has not yet finished on the podium and it is our firm aim to change that in Suzuka. The #43 performed very well in Spa and so we are looking to continue that form as we head into the penultimate round of this year’s Intercontinental GT Challenge. It’s a fantastic track and we enjoy racing in Japan and we’re aiming to be on the podium for the second consecutive year.”
