Good weekend for Ecurie Ecosse/Nielsen.
Colin Noble and Tony Wells took two leaps towards the 2018 LMP3 Cup Championship in baking hot conditions at Snetterton’s 300 circuit over the past weekend, taking both 60-minute race wins in the double-header fixture to secure a 27 point lead in the championship standings with the Ecurie Ecosse/Nielsen Racing squad.
Race 1
Tony Wells started Race 1 from pole position, soaking up early pressure before handing over to young Scottish sensation Colin Noble who pulled clear of the remainder of the field to secure a fourth win of the season for the pairing.
“The start went well,” said Wells, “then I could see everybody fighting in my mirrors which was helpful, but then the second place car began to catch up. I got my head down and pushed.”
For Noble the task in hand was “all about consistent lap times for both of us, doing the times that we needed to do.”
“The car was strong and after a bit of excitement straight out of the pits when Jack Butel just managed to get his nose ahead I needed to push with an overtake out of Riches then just settled in to drive to a pace comfortable enough to pull away. Tony did a fantastic job in the first stint to hand it over in the lead.”
Race 2
The victory for Wells and Noble in Race 2 came far from easily after the rival Speedworks squad hit form in the early part of the race after setting pole position, Wells struggling to match their pace.
“This is a really tricky place to pass and I opted to tuck in and keep to our plan and see if an opportunity arose to get by,” said Wells. “All credit to them there were no errors until the pit stop.”
Ultimately though the Ecurie Ecosse/Nielsen racing luck held, the leading car hitting technical trouble, allowing Colin Noble to power by to take the win
“It was very unfortunate for Jack,” Noble said. “I feel like we did have the pace to be running at the front. It was just a matter of whether or not he was going to make a mistake before the end of the race, and he was driving a good race. I don’t know I may have got him the last few laps.”
The Ecurie Ecosse/Nielsen Racing team have just two rounds remaining in the 2018 LMP3 Cup Championship (at the Grand Prix tracks at Donington and Silverstone in September and October) to defend their points lead and take a repeat championship win both for the team, and for Colin Noble who took the 2017 title with Alasdair McCaig.