As the 2020 GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup season begins this weekend, Andrew Watson’s year also restarts as he embarks on the series' opening round at Imola with the Garage 59 team.
Entering their fifth season together, Andrew will take charge of the #159 Garage 59 Aston Martin Vantage GT3 in the Silver class alongside Valentin Hasse-Clot with a third driver to be announced in due course.
The Imola event will mark the commencement of the rescheduled and truncated GT World Challenge campaign and Andrew’s first taste of on-track action since the FIA World Endurance Championship at Austin, Texas in February. Prior to that, Andrew and the Garage 59 team claimed a stunning podium at the Bathurst 12 Hours.
The 4.9km-long Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari has a reputation for being a fast and relentless circuit to conquer and is also a track Andrew has never raced at before. It will prove a new challenge for the Northern Irishman but one he is very much looking forward to taking on.
“It’s great to be getting back on track,” Andrew said. “It’s been a long wait but I’ve no doubt it will be worth it. Imola is a track I’ve always wanted to race on so I’m really excited to be given the chance to. Me and the team work really well together so I’m sure we’ll be up to speed very quickly. A huge thanks to them for their support this year!”
The weekend begins on the morning of Saturday July 25th with Free Practice at 08:00 (BST) followed by Pre-Qualifying at 12:10 (BST) and the official Qualifying session at 16:30 (BST). The three-hour race itself will take place on Sunday July 25th with the green flag flying at 12:30 (BST).
Image courtesy of Garage 59.