Fresh from a blistering Portugal podium, Lamborghini factory ace Sandy Mitchell is in action at another of Europe’s epic racetracks this weekend.
And the 23-year-old Angus driver hopes the penultimate round of the Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe series may finally bring the slice of luck he believes his team deserves.
The Forfar star will again team up with fellow Lambo factory drivers, Italian Marco Mapelli and Frenchman Franck Perera in the No. 6 Huracan GT3 Evo2 prepared by the California-based K-PAX Racing team.
It’s part of a double-pronged programme alongside the 2023 British GT Championship which reaped a strong third-place at Portimao in the Algarve at the weekend.
Mitchell is looking forward to returning to the 3.199-mile German track where he last raced in 2020.
“It’s a circuit I don’t know too well, having only raced on it once – but it’s a fun track,” he said.
“I enjoy it, especially the middle section of the lap which flows really well.
“It’s a circuit you can overtake on as well, so it should be exciting.”
Three-hour race
And the change in format this weekend will impact on the way he and the whole team approach the race.
“We’re back to the three-hour format at the Nurburgring, which is a massive change from the 24-hours we did last time at Spa, and the six-hours we did before that at Paul Ricard,” he said.
“So in comparison it’s going to feel quite short.
“Because of that, qualifying will again be important, so we’ll be focusing a bit more on that than we were at Spa.”
And after a run of bad luck, Mitchell and K-PAX are hoping for a change in fortune.
“Overall our pace has been excellent this season but we’ve had technical misfortunes, completely outwith our control, a couple of times.
“It’s is a real shame because we’ve regularly been fighting in the top five and battling for podium finishes.
“In all the races in the championship the season, we’ve put together really strong performances.
“That’s massive given we’re competing against all the factory drivers and cars.
“So to be fighting up there is really good.
“Naturally we’ll be doing more of that this weekend. I just hope we get a little bit more luck than we’ve had so far this season.”
