BLANCPAIN ENDURANCE SERIES - SILVERSTONE RACE REPORT

Markus Palttala won the final race of the Blancpain Endurance Series last weekend in Silverstone. Palttala raced with his regular teammates Bas Leinders and Maxime Martin in the Marc VDS Racing Team BMW Z4 GT3 making it two victories in a row for the Marc VDS trio with the German car. This great result moved the fast Finn to 2nd position in the Drivers' Championship and enabled Marc VDS Racing Team to take 2nd in the Team Championship - the young team making it for the first time into top 3 in the final championship ranking of a major international series.

Bas Leinders took the start in the 3-hour race moving quickly to 2nd from 3rd in the grid. A lap before handing over to Palttala, Leinders took the lead from the Alpina B6 that had started from pole. Palttala then drove a strong stint extending the lead to 15 seconds before handing over to Martin who went on without incidents crossing the finish line 28 seconds ahead of the closest rival.

"In the end it was a fairly easy win, because everything simply worked out perfect for us. We had no technical issues with the BMW, our guys were great on the pitstops and we drove an excellent race without any mistakes. Bas drove a strong first stint giving me the car in the lead. I just had to manage the gap to 2nd and take care of the car, especially the brakes that were wearing a bit too much. Max continued the same and the only worry for us was a possible Safety Car intervention or the rain that started half an hour before the end, but Max managed it without problems. Our task was made easier by two perfect pitstops by our crew. Each time we returned on the track the others had dropped back a bit, because we were the quickest team on the pitlane, so this win was a classic example of great teamwork."

"I'm very happy to have won the last two races and to finish 2nd in the championship. I'd like to thank Marc van der Straten, the man with big heart who made it all possible. I was crowned alone as vice-champion but obviously I owe it to Max and Bas and wish to share it with them. I got more points because we split up for Spa 24h, but we did all other races together which amounted to two wins and one 3rd place in 4 races. Also, everyone in the team did a great job throughout the year and it has been nice to see how this young team has quickly become one of the top outfits in Europe. In the last two races we had great support from BMW Motorsport and they played an important role in our success. Marc VDS Racing Team became 2nd in the team championship, which is a great bonus especially considering we ran only one car most of the season."

"Blancpain Endurance Series has been a success story already in its 1st year. It's back to the roots of sports car racing and there was really a need for a series designed for GT3 cars but running longer races and also allowing professional driver line-ups. The amount of cars and quality of drivers and teams was really impressive and I'm sure it will be even better next year and I hope to be back there trying to get one step higher in the standings."