Saturday, January 10, 2009

The bittersweet world of motorsport


While things are finally looking up for the Nissan PlayStation team as sunrise approaches, their colleagues have been dealt a major blow. The other Nissan 350Z GT4, with which they share a pit garage, careered into a wall and has suffered major damage, meaning it can take no further part in the TOYO Tires 24h of Dubai. Most importantly, the driver has been checked by medical professionals and is unharmed, but the team is obviously devastated.

Conversely, Lucas Ordóñez enjoyed a superb session of driving, helping his team climb to 51st position overall at the time of writing. He began his 90 minute session averaging approximately 2:14 minutes per lap and grew in confidence with each corner, even managing to post a lap time of 2:12 minutes.

“It’s difficult at night,” he said. “It’s getting fierce out there as the air gets colder and drivers are able to push their cars harder, but I tried to stay calm and am very happy with my times.”

Darren Cox, Interactive Marketing Manager of Nissan Europe was equally delighted with Lucas’s drive. “He was fast, consistent and professional – everything we need,” he said. Such is the team’s trust in the GT Academy winner at this stage, he is currently preparing himself for yet another session after sitting out for the two hours required by the race rules.