Bullitt Racing is targeting a strong performance in next weekend’s GT4 European Series contest at Brands Hatch (4/5 May) as the Malaga-based outfit looks to kick-start its 2019 season.
The team travelled to the opening round at Monza (13/14 April) with high hopes for its pair of Mercedes-AMG GT4s, but had to contend with a number of issues during a rain-hit event in northern Italy.
The first came when the #66 car of Oleg Kharuk and Ivan Lukashevich suffered an incident during pre-event testing, forcing it to be withdrawn. The #33 crew of Stephen Pattrick and Andy Meyrick displayed competitive pace during free practice and qualifying, only for issues in both races to scupper their hopes as well.
The team now has its sights set on a competitive showing during the season’s second double-header round at Brands Hatch, where Pattrick and Meyrick took a brace of points-paying finishes in 2018. This year Bullitt Racing will launch a two-car assault on the British event with the aim of securing strong results for both crews.
Stephen Pattrick: “Monza was a very demanding weekend. It was our first race of the season and we had some bad luck, not least because the conditions were a new experience for us.
“That said, we’re going to Brands Hatch with confidence. Pre-season testing went very well and the car performed to our expectations, so we are grateful to Mercedes-AMG for providing us with good equipment. We know the circuit, whereas Monza was new to us, so we’re really looking forward to a strong showing.”
Andy Meyrick: “Monza was not what we’d hoped for, particularly as everything looked good heading into the weekend. Winter testing was very positive and Stephen has been performing excellently, but the conditions were extremely difficult. It was especially disappointing given that we had been quick throughout practice and qualifying.
“Our full focus is now on Brands Hatch, which is a home event for many of our team. It went well last year, so we’re really motivated to turn things around.”
Staged over the Early May Bank Holiday weekend, the Brands Hatch meeting will see Bullitt Racing compete in a pair of 60-minute sprint contests against a packed grid of 36 cars. Both races will take place on Sunday, with the opening run at 10.20 and the second at 14.45.
