Phoenix Racing Press Release
Niki Mayr-Melnhof and Markus Winkelhock travel to France in fine form for the opening race of the Blancpain Sprint Series (BSS). Nogaro is the venue of the first of seven rounds, which the driver duo from Phoenix Racing tackle in the Audi R8 LMS ultra with start number six.
Twenty GT3 sportscars are entered for Nogaro: The parent organization, the SRO, expect the grid for the Blancpain GT Series to grow during the season. With seven R8, Audi provides around a third of the field.
The Austrian Mayr-Melnhof and ex-Formula 1 driver Winkelhock got up to speed around the 3.64-kilometer track while completing 750 kilometers during testing. The goal of both drivers as well as Team Boss Ernst Moser and GT Team Manager Bernhard Demmer is to follow on from the third place in the BSS finale in Baku last November, and to fight regularly for podium positions throughout the new season.
The opener over the Easter holidays traditionally observes a rather unusual timetable: after two practice session on Saturday, the qualifying and one-hour qualifying race are held on Easter Sunday before the one-hour main race is held after a warm-up on Monday.
Photo credit: Phoenix Racing
