Jimmy Eriksson clinches third overall in 2017 Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup

Press Release

Jimmy Eriksson came home just outside the podium in this weekend’s Blancpain GT Series finale in Barcelona, doing enough to seal third place in the overall Endurance Cup standings.

Racing alongside team-mates Maximilian Buhk (Germany) and Franck Perera (France) in HTP Motorsport’s #84 Mercedes-AMG GT3, Eriksson clinched a P4 finish among 50 entries in Sunday’s three-hour race at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya in eastern Spain, having been in contention for victory for much of the event.

The result means Eriksson/Buhk/Perera end up third overall in the Endurance Cup standings, as the top Mercedes crew.

“We came here with two clear aims in the championship; to finish third overall, and to be the top Mercedes,” says Jimmy Eriksson. “I’m very happy that we managed to achieve both of those aims. As for the race today, I genuinely think we had the pace to win, but we got dragged into a couple of time-consuming situations and I think that’s what cost us the opportunity. Still, fourth is a good result to cap off the year, and I’m pleased to take third overall in only my first season of GT racing.”

Eriksson backs up his bronze medal in the Endurance Cup with ninth place in the aggregate Blancpain GT Series, which boasts all ten rounds of the season – five in the Endurance Cup, five in the Sprint Cup.

Winning the overall title is Lamborghini’s Mirko Bortolotti (Italy) and Christian Engelhart (Germany), who also claim Endurance Cup honours alongside team-mate Andrea Caldarelli (Italy).

Eriksson has scored a total of three podiums in 2017; one in the Sprint Cup, and two at endurance events.

“I’ve really enjoyed myself this season, and I’ve been positively surprised by the nature of GT racing,” Eriksson concludes. “It’s such a high level, and a complex form of motorsport. You need so much more than just pure pace, and I like that mentality. I want to thank HTP Motorsport for putting their trust in me. It’s been a pleasure working with the team this year, and I really hope we can cross paths again in the future.“

Jimmy Eriksson’s best result of the 2017 season came at the Silverstone Endurance Cup meeting back in May, when the #84 crew finished second – just 0.3s adrift of victory.

RESULTS (top five)

Blancpain GT Series | Rd. 10 (finale)
Endurance Cup | Rd. 5 (finale)
Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, Spain