Albatec, Grint round out 2016 with sixth in British RX Grand Prix at Croft

Albatec Racing and James Grint rounded out 2016 with sixth place in a thrilling Procters Coaches MSA British Rallycross Grand Prix at Croft on Sunday. The Dumfries team and Kimpton racer, aboard his #27 Peugeot 208 RX Supercar, preceded that with 11th place in the British Rallycross Championship in association with Odyssey Battery finale on Saturday afternoon.

Saturday dawned dry and cold for practice at the North Yorkshire track, ahead of three qualifying races for the series finale, which saw James twice post the sixth fastest race lap. Tenth in Q1, seventh in Q2 and eighth in Q3 allowed him to comfortably set-up a place in the semi-finals. After a strong start, the former rally man was looking for a top three finish, but dropped to sixth when side-lined with a broken propshaft, his hopes of a return to the British RX podium ended.

Undeterred, and with his two-litre, 16v Supercar repaired, James bounced back on Sunday on his British Rallycross Grand Prix debut. The unique format of the event pitches several classes head to head providing the opportunity for all competing drivers to qualify for the prestigious Grand Prix.

Despite heavy rain causing tricky conditions, James once again showed competitive form and pace amid the 39-car field. Posting lap times in the top eight across the three heats, James twice set the sixth fastest lap and qualified for the 10-car B Final. The elimination nature of the entry meant the top four would progress to join the back of the A Final grid. In the race James crossed the line fifth, however he was elevated to fourth allowing him to take up a place in the Grand Prix.

A sensible start allowed him to get away cleanly and a solid drive saw him gradually move up through the order. Crossing the line sixth at the flag, James finished just behind three British champions, a four-time X-Games gold medallist, and multiple British rallycross race winner to bring his season to a close.

Andy Scott, Team Principal, Albatec Racing:

“I’m delighted for James that he could end his season with a solid result, against a quality field in the British Rallycross Grand Prix. He posted some respectable lap times throughout the weekend, both in the series finale and the Grand Prix, which allowed him to demonstrate his potential. It’s disappointing that we didn’t get the result he deserved on Saturday, but that’s rallycross, sometimes you have good luck other times bad luck.”

James Grint, driver Albatec Racing #27:

“I’m pretty happy with the outcome on Sunday, to finish where we did against such strong opposition was actually very enjoyable, the most fun I’ve had all year. The weather conditions were awful, with no grip and very tricky for everyone, which made the racing exciting to say the least. It was an absolute pleasure to drive the Albatec Peugeot to a good result to end the season.

“On Saturday we had a half decent run across the first heat but were held up a little by another driver, in the second I made a couple of mistakes, and the third was pretty average. We managed to get through to the semis and everything was going well for a place in the Final until we had to retire. Across the weekend though the car was great to drive, and our lap times were fast, a decent end to the year.”


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