Brands Beckons for Team Modena

Team Modena head for Brands Hatch in Kent this coming weekend, July 12th and 13th, for rounds 11 and 12 of the Avon Tyres British GT Championship aiming to make up for the disappointment of Thruxton two weeks ago and with a new driver on board. Rachel Green will be making her race debut with the team, joining Piers Johnson in the number 21 Lamborghini Gallardo, while the sister number 11 car will be crewed as usual by Ben de Zille Butler and Guy Harrington.

Thruxton proved a hard meeting mechanically for the team, but at Brands Hatch last year the team qualified on the front row with the single car they were then running, and were leading the race until a puncture lost them time. The team left the circuit with the GT3 lap record, and are keen to demonstrate again the pace of the Lamborghini round the classic Kent circuit.

"We have two engines arriving today for the cars and will be out at Brands Hatch," says Team Principal Graham Schultz. "We are looking forward to having Rachel racing with for the first time; she is buoyant and ready to go for the weekend.

"It should be a good track for us and it would be nice to get a good result, Thruxton was a disappointment for Ben and Guy in particular, but they have reacted like true professionals and it should be a good weekend."

Rachel has tested the Gallardo before, and is replacing team regular Adam Jones who has a clashing race commitment. The weekend will see her gain plenty of seat time in car, with test sessions prior to the two one-hour races.

"I'm really looking forward to it," says Rachel, "Brands Hatch is my local circuit and I should have lots of friends and family there. I like the track, I won a championship there in 2002, and I can't wait to get back in the Lamborghini.

"I'm hoping it will be dry for my first race with the team, although the long-range weather forecasts are not looking good, but I hope to get plenty of time in the car and make sure I don't let the team down. It will be good to link up with Piers, and I know Ben and Guy well as I used to race against them. It'd been a long wait to get a race in the Gallardo and make my Team Modena debut, but now I can't wait for the weekend."

Thruxton was a race to forget for Ben and Guy, mechanical problems sideling their car early in race one when running with the leaders, and seeing the car miss the second race at the high-speed Hampshire circuit.

"Ben and I are really looking for ward to getting out there," said Guy. "We went well there last year and we could do with a nice straight forward race to show how good the Gallardo really is. The team always do a fantastic job with the car, and it will be up to us to put it through its paces."

Saturday sees a practice session in the morning, with the two 15-minute qualifying sessions starting at 13.05 with a 15-minute gap between them. That afternoon's race is scheduled to start at 16.45, with Sunday's one-hour event due to commence at 14.15

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