GULFWEEKLY: Bahrain-owned racing team 2 Seas Motorsport started off their second season with a bang as they led the pack from pole to podium during the Gulf 12 Hours Bahrain race last weekend.
The young team, co-owned by Bahraini Shaikh Isa bin Abdulla Al Khalifa and Nick Cristofaro, secured a first place finish with their No 33 McLaren 720S GT3 car, driven by Shaikh Isa, Ben Barnicoat and Martin Kodric.
“I am lost for words,” said Shaikh Isa after the race.
“We have won the Gulf 12 Hours Bahrain – our first endurance event as 2 Seas Motorsport and my first race competing with my team.
“I am so proud of the achievement and cannot thank each and every member of the team for their efforts in taking the car to the finish line. Any victory in motorsport is special, but to win with your own team, racing alongside your friends and at your home circuit is the ultimate. I am absolutely delighted.”
The team arrived in Bahrain last month for some home turf testing and shook up their driving line-up. In addition to the No 33 car team, Edward Jones, Lewis Williamson and Dylan Pereira manned the No 7 car.
“We ran a successful test programme with the 720S GT3, covering some good mileage and working through different scenarios with the drivers,” Cristofaro told GulfWeekly.
“The team ran through a number of programmes, gaining valuable data which helped going in to this weekend.
“This weekend was our home race here in Bahrain so we pushed for a strong result.
“We have accomplished Pro line-ups in both cars but the competition on the grid was very strong and the race was a big test – for the car, the team and the drivers.”
The team had finished in the top three during its inaugural British GT Championship, putting up an impressive 125.5 points, beating out competitors Jenson Team Rocket RJN by just half a point!
Going forward, they plan to focus on consistency and reliability, as even during the Gulf 12 Hours, the No 7 car was forced to retire early despite showing promise during the qualifying round.
“2020 was our debut season, so every lap was important and we gained important experience of the cars, drivers, strategies, pit stops and how the championship operated,” Cristofaro explained.
“While the team is made up of highly experienced individuals, it was all a new experience, with a new car and new young drivers, but we got stronger with each race lap completed.”
The team’s next competition is the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters (DTM) with the season set to start on July 2.