Lewis Williamson gets WEC green lightposted in WEC22 | 08 | 2016

    HIGHLANDER LEWIS WILLIAMSON has today been confirmed as Strakka Racing’s third driver for the remaining five rounds of the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC).

    The 26-year-old from Golspie, winner of the McLaren Autosport BRDC Award in 2010, made his race debut in the team's Gibson-Nissan 015S at last month's six-hour race at the Nurburgring.

    Partnering team-mate Jonny Kane and Nick Leventis, the trio missed out on a podium by just 0.071secs when fellow Scot Ryan Dalziel took third in a nailbiting final sprint to the line.

    Dundee-born Williamson — who made a big impression on his WEC debut having previously driven Strakka's entry in the Renault Sport Trophy for the RS01 one-make racer this year — has replaced team stalwart Danny Watts in the line-up.

    The decision to switch Williamson to the team’s WEC squad means Strakka will not return to the Renault series this season.

    Related: Williamson misses WEC podium by 0.071s

    “It’s amazing, and it’s still not sunk in that I’ll be in the car again,” Williamson, a former member of the Red Bull Young Driver Programme and who will now contest the final WEC races in Mexico, US, China, Japan and Bahrain, said.

    “I tried my very best in Germany to show I could be quick, and also bring the car home in one piece. I definitely learned a lot from that outing, particularly in relation to tyre management.

    “My plan now is to build on that and get the podium we just missed out on in Germany to Ryan.”

    Williamson’s promotion to one of the most sought-after seats in the WEC LMP2 Championship was backed by Strakka team principal Dan Walmsley.

    “Lewis’ fine performance in Germany left us with a difficult decision for the rest of the season,” Walmsley said. “Before Nürburgring, Lewis had done no testing and had driven the car for just six laps in Bahrain last year.

    “I think that underlines his potential and we’d like to see more of him as plans evolve for 2017. Danny remains part of Strakka and we’d all like to thank him for all his efforts on track, as well as off track to accommodate the changes.”

    Related: Scot John McPhee bags maiden Moto3 victory

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    Jim McGill

     

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