Series podium finisher back for '21 with top team Sorg Rennsport
Lidsey to again be partnered by Ivan Berets in BMW M240i
First race of new nine-round campaign to take place this Saturday
British racing driver Brett Lidsey will get his 2021 season underway this coming Saturday, 27th March, at the world-famous Nurburgring-Nordschleife in Germany after re-signing with leading team Sorg Rennsport for the prestigious nine round Nurburgring Endurance Series.
Lidsey, who starred during his maiden season in the championship last year with the Wuppertal-based squad, has spent the winter months working hard to secure the required funding – by no means an easy task when considering the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on global economies.
Through the continued support of long-standing partners Liftout, Dornack, GPL Projects Ltd and Certus Security, the 29-year-old from Northfleet is able to return for a major bid in the Cup 5 Class at the wheel of Sorg’s ‘Avia Talk’ liveried BMW M240i.
Adding to the terrific continuity going into the new season, the Kent racer will be partnered by Russian driver Ivan Berets with whom Lidsey raced to a maiden Nurburgring Endurance Series podium, second position in class, last August in the six-hour fifth round.
Ultimately, of course, the late summer race at the lengthy 24-kilometre track turned out to be the final one of the 2020 campaign with a tightening of coronavirus lockdown restrictions in Germany meaning the subsequent rounds were cancelled.
With that in mind, Lidsey and Berets will go into this coming weekend’s opening race of 2021 with the superb podium result their last memory of being at the Nurburgring-Nordschleife. Not a bad way at all to go into the new campaign.
“I’m really excited to be back in the Nurburgring Endurance Series this year, it was our target to be back for a second season so I’m very thankful to my sponsors for making it happen”, said a delighted Lidsey, “Likewise, if we were coming back I wanted to be with the Sorg Rennsport guys as they did a fantastic job last year.
“Teaming-up with Ivan again means we’ve got some fantastic continuity, and I really do think we have a great chance to challenge for the podium on Saturday in the first round. With the experience I gained last year, the fact we know the car inside-out as well, I really am feeling confident for the new season and can’t wait to see how we get on.”
As well as showing tremendous race pace last year around the daunting Nordschleife, Lidsey’s first ever season racing rear-wheel drive and also first full campaign outside the UK, in qualifying too the Briton was impressive with a brace of front-row performances.
“We were getting quicker and more competitive throughout last season, we were sure the first win was only a matter of time”, he added, “If everything goes to plan at the weekend, and we have the reliability you always need in this championship, I think we can make a very strong start to 2021.”
Official pre-season testing, which had been scheduled for this past Saturday, was cancelled last week due to snow and minus temperatures at the Nordschleife. Therefore, Lidsey’s first mileage since last August will come this Friday, 26th March, when two practice sessions will be staged.
On Saturday, 27th March, qualifying for the 66th ADAC Westfalenfahrt event will get underway at 8.30 local time with the season opening four-hour race following at 12.00 (11.00 UK time).
