Scottish motorsport round-up 16 | 04 | 2016
SCOTTISH MOTORSPORT ROUND-UP: Marino Franchitti in WEC; Gordon Shedden in BTCC; Black Bull Ecurie Ecosse and defending champ Jonny Adam in British GT
BATHGATE'S MARINO FRANCHITTI will start his first World Endurance Championship race from the second row of the GTE grid at Silverstone tomorrow.
The 37-year-old Scot, making his debut behind the wheel of his Ford GT race car, will partner fellow Brits Andy Priaulx and Harry Tincknell in the season opening six hours race.
"Qualifying today was tough, because the conditions were atrocious," Franchitti — who was forced to sit out today's final free practice session after it was was red-flagged because of snow — said.
"This is the first time all three of us have driven the car in a competitive environment, and to be hit with the weather we had today was a real tester.
"But we've come through it, and we're delighted with where we're starting on the grid. Six hours is a along time, so we know we're going to be pushing for the win."
Related: Marino Franchitti "living the dream" in WEC
Franchiti's #67 Ford GT starts fourth, alongside the sister #66 car driven by Frenchman Olivier Pla, German Stefan Mucke and American Billy Johnson. Brit Sam Bird starts the race from pole in his AF Corse Ferrari 488.
In the LMP1 WEC, Audi — which won the corresponding race last year — filled the front two positions, edging out the Porsche of defending WEC champ Mark Webber.
The pole-sitting Audi R18 e-tron quattro of Andre Lotterer, Benoit Treluyer and Marcus Fassler clocked a fastest time of 1m 53.204s.
And in the LMP2 category, Airdrie's Ryan Dalziel starts from second on the grid after clocking a best time of 2:09.632s in his Extreme Speed Motorsports Nissan.
In the British Touring Car Championship at Donington, defending champion Gordon Shedden qualified his Honda fourth for the first of tomorrow's three races.
Related: Allan McNish — "Audi's only here to win"
The Auchterarder-based driver lines up alongside the Ford of Mat Jackson, and behind the two MGs of polesitter Ash Sutton and team-mate Josh Cook.
Scotland's iconic Black Bull Ecurie Ecosse team will start the opening round of the British GT3 Championship at Brands Hatch from fourth on the grid.
Edinburgh's Alasdair McCaig and Rob Bell, debuting the team's all-new McLaren 650S, line-up alongside the Aston Martin of defending champ Jonny Adam from Kirkcaldy. Rick Parfitt Jnr bagged pole position in his Bentley Continental GT3.
In the British GT4 Championship, Scots duo Ciaran Haggerty and Sandy Mitchell — at 16, he's the youngest ever driver to race in the British GT Championship — qualified their Black Bull Ecurie Ecosse McLaren 570S on the fourth row of the grid on their debut.
Related: Roadtest — Ford Focus RS
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Jim McGill