Eriksson fights back to claim Misano podium on promising GT debut

Press Release

Jimmy Eriksson put in a storming fightback drive to kick start his career in GT competition with a podium as the Blancpain GT Series season got underway at Misano, Italy, this weekend.

Having stepped across from single-seaters ahead of this season, Eriksson immediately found his feet in the #86 HTP Motorsport Mercedes-AMG GT3 he shares with Dominik Baumann (Austria) in the Sprint Cup rounds of the Blancpain GT Series, as the duo produced frontrunning pace throughout the Misano opener to take third place in Sunday’s Main Race.

”It’s a great feeling,” says Jimmy Eriksson. ”I was hoping to run strongly here this weekend, but to end up on the podium – especially in the way we did – is more than I expected. Big thanks to HTP Motorsport and Dominik; this was all about team work, and today’s result shows that my decision to step into GT racing was very much the right one.”

Ending up less than a tenth shy of pole position, Eriksson/Baumann qualified in fourth place for Saturday’s Qualifying Race, the outcome of which is used to shape the final grid for Sunday’s main event. With Baumann being tripped into a spin on the opening lap of the qualifier, however, and Eriksson later picking up a puncture, the duo were left down in 20th place on the grid for the main encounter.

It all took a quick turn for the better on Sunday, however, as Eriksson – in charge of driving duties for the opening stint of the one-hour event – put in a sensational 30 minutes behind the wheel. Handing the car over the Baumann at the halfway stages, Eriksson had made up a full 14 positions, sending his team-mate out in sixth place and in podium contention. Baumann duly delivered a similarly fine performance in his stint, continuing to make progress and eventually coming home in third.

The #86 crew took the chequered flag less than half a second adrift of second place, in a field boasting 34 cars and 68 of the world’s best GT drivers. HTP Motorsport’s #84 entry, driven by Franck Perera/Maximilian Buhk, won the race.

”We’ve had great pace this weekend, and I really like the nature of GT racing,” Eriksson concludes. ”Now that I know what kind of level I am at, I think there’s no reason why we shouldn’t push for a top position in the championship. It’s been a really inspiring weekend and I’m already looking forward to the next race.”

The Blancpain GT Series continues at another Italian circuit – the famous Autodromo Nazionale Monza – with the first Endurance Cup round of the season on April 22-23. Eriksson’s team-mates for the Endurance Cup part of the campaign will be announced shortly.