Mansell to drive F430

I was wondering who was going to replace Enge in the SE 430 . . . hope he does well for one of our favorite teams. . .

Carol


Mansell For Scuderia Ecosse At Silverstone
GT2 seems increasingly to be a class which is attracting talent in depth. Stars of the future are increasingly being joined on track by superstars from the recent past.

Ex Ferrari F1 driver Mika Salo is of course a regular feature aboard GT2 Ferrari 430s nowadays and he’s joined in the GT2 roll of honour by none other than 1992 F1 World Champion Nigel Mansell.

Mansell will join the Scuderia Ecosse team for the RAC Tourist Trophy weekend at Silverstone, the UK round of the FIA GT Championship, replacing the injured Tomas Enge.

With driver line-ups still to be decided the team’s regular trio of Tim Mullen, Andrew Kirkaldy and Chris Niarchos will have to wait until a test session at Estoril in a fortnight’s time to find out who will partner the super-competitive ex moustachioed one.

The opportunity for this guest appearance came about when the team heard a rumour that Nigel was considering driving a Ferrari 430 in America. Nigel joined regular drivers Chris Niarchos and Andrew Kirkaldy at Knockhill in Scotland on 5 April where he was quickly on the pace.

Mansell will take to the wheel of the 430 GT next at a Pirelli tyre test at Estoril (24-26 April) prior to the Silverstone race, to complete his preparations.

“ This was a challenge I had to accept.” Said Mansell today. “Stewart Roden runs a very good team and the cars are beautifully prepared. The Ferrari 430 is fun to drive but it remains to be seen how I will get on in a race situation as ex-F1 drivers tend to race with a target on their backs! I had a great time with the team at Knockhill and it’s going to be good to work with Pirelli again as we have enjoyed many years working together in the past. I hope to see everyone at Silverstone as I think we are in for a great weekend of racing.”

An ebullient Stewart Roden said “As a team we are delighted that Nigel will be joining us at Silverstone. We pride ourselves on our high standards so having a driver of Nigel’s calibre with us really helps us to step up to the mark. In terms of race victories he is the most successful British F1 driver of all time, which is an incredible achievement. Nigel was the last Ferrari driver to be selected personally by Enzo Ferrari before the great man’s death in 1988. For a team that is so passionate about Ferrari we are so happy that Nigel is joining us and we will do everything we can to make sure that he has a successful weekend.”

Perhaps unsurprisingly the FIA GT Championship are pretty pleased too!

Stephane Ratel added his reaction: “To have a driver of Nigel Mansell’s standing and popularity competing in the FIA GT Championship says everything about the level of professionalism that we have attained in the series, and also about our standing within the motor sport family. Nigel is a natural born racer and seeing him reunited with the Ferrari name at Silverstone will be an extremely special moment; we’re delighted the FIA GT Championship has provided this opportunity. I’m sure he’ll relish racing the Scuderia Ecosse Ferrari 430 - it's a thoroughbred - as well as facing the stiff competition from our regular Championship drivers. Importantly, as we all know, Nigel is an incredible professional and an entertainer, and you can be sure that he will put on a special show for everyone who comes to see him.”

This will of course be Mansell’s first GT race start, the closest we have ever seen to that before was a proposed start in the TVR Tuscan Challenge at Donington Park in October 1993, his crash earlier in the day ion the TOCA Shootout put paid to that. Our prediction is that he will bring his usual brand of competitiveness to bear and that he’ll add thousands to the gate at Silverstone!