MotorSports: 2020 Bentley Motorsports GT3 Program To Be Biggest Yet
Bentley Motorsport’s 2020 program is set to be its largest yet, with elite customer teams competing in the world’s leading GT3 championships and its works-supported Bentley Team M-Sport outfit entering the highest level of GT3 competition in the Intercontinental GT Challenge (IGTC).
Since 2013, Bentley Team M-Sport has worked with Bentley Motorsport in Crew to be responsible for the development and build of the Bentley Continental GT3, while also running a race-winning team. With an increased and improved customer racing program in place for 2020, the Cumbria-based outfit will focus on providing Bentley’s teams with the highest level of service, alongside a campaign in the five-round IGTC.
Championship-winning team K-PAX Racing, which has had two very successful seasons with Bentley in the USA, will travel across the Atlantic to enter the GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup with a pair of Continental GT3s, spearheading Bentley’s push for overall race wins at Europe’s top tracks.
Drivers will enter the full IGTC, with a pair of Continental GT3s in a striking new green livery, while supporting its customer teams around the globe. Maxime Soulet (BEL) will return to Bentley Team M-Sport for a sixth season alongside Jordan Pepper (ZAR) and Jules Gounon (FRA) who have both raced with the brand since 2018. All three will race for K-PAX Racing alongside regulars Andy Soucek (ESP), Alvaro Parente (POR) and Rodrigo Baptista (BRA).
Bentley Works driver Maxime Soulet said, “Bentley is very much home for me. I’ve been here for five years and 2020 is set to be a great year for the brand and its customers. After racing for K-PAX Racing in the USA for two years, it’s exciting to be able to welcome them over to our playground and help them to get to grips with competing in Europe.”
Seb Morris (GBR), who won the British GT Championship with the first generation Continental GT3, will step up to the works line-up following impressive outings at the 24 Hours of Spa and Suzuka 10 Hours, while Al Buncombe (GBR) becomes a full-time works driver after strong showings for the team in 2019. Olly Jarvis (GBR), who raced for the squad in 2017, will return for IGTC duties only due to a busy schedule.
“It’s actually been a textbook route from customer racing into the works team for me. I first raced the Bentley Continental GT3 in 2016 for Team Parker Racing in British GT, which we went on to win. I then stepped up to the Blancpain GT Series with Team Parker, while still contesting the British series with JRM. Thanks to race wins with both, I was selected last year to join the works team at the 24 Hours of Spa and then again at Suzuka 10 Hours. Now, I stand here in 2020 as a fully-fledged works team driver. Bentley promised to nuture talent through its programs, and I can’t wait to start my career as a Bentley Boy.”
The Bentley Motorsport Academy run with Team Parker Racing kicks off in 2020 to help to identify and nurture the next generation of Bentley works team drivers. Testing and assessments for the inaugural squad are currently underway.
With more world-class customer teams set to be announced in the coming weeks, Bentley Motorsport has been able to improve the service offered and increase the development and testing program of the Continental GT3.
