Aditya Patel To Compete In 2017 Blancpain GT Series Asia

It has been confirmed that Indian racecar driver Aditya Patel will compete in the first edition of the Blancpain GT Series Asia in an Audi R8 LMS GT3 racecar. He makes the jump from the Audi R8 LMS Asia Cup where he finished 6th overall in the 2016 season.

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“I would like to thank Audi India for giving me this opportunity and for their unwavering support over the past five years. The Blancpain GT Series is one of the world’s premier racing championships and I am really looking forward to being a part of it. My teammate, Mitch Gilbert, has proved his speed in various championships in the past as well. While the competition will be tough, I have no doubt that together, we will achieve great results this year,“ said Aditya Patel.

Unlike the one-make Audi R8 LMS Asia Cup, the 2017 Blancpain GT Series Asia will feature GT3 and GT4 cars from multiple manufacturers. The championship will consist of 12 races held in Malaysia, Thailand, Japan and China. Aditya Patel has been paired with Australian Mitch Gilbert and the duo is touted to be very competitive in the GT3 category.

The event calendar is as follows:

Race 1&2 - April 8-9 at the Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia

Race 3&4 - May 20-21 at the Chang International Circuit in Thailand

Race 5&6 - June 24-25 at the Suzuka International Circuit in Japan

Race 7&8 - August 19-20 at the Fuji Speedway International Circuit in Japan

Race 9&10 - September 23-24 at the Shanghai International Circuit in China

Race 11&12 - October 21-22 at the Zhejiang Circuit in China

Both GT3 and GT4 racecars will compete on the track at the same time in all the races. Practice will include two 45-minute practice sessions on Friday and a 30-minute session on Saturday morning. Following Saturday's practice session, two 15-minute qualifying sessions will be held. The first race will be held on Saturday itself and will be an hour long. The second race will be held on Sunday and will also be an hour long. Both races will feature a mandatory pit-stop and driver change.

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All cars competing in the Blancpain GT Series Asia will be fitted with Pirelli P Zero tyres. The Audi R8 LMS is a racecar, based on the R8 road car; it features an aluminium/carbon-fibre composite hybrid racecar chassis with steel roll-cage and body panels made of aluminium and carbon-fibre composites. It is powered by a 5.2-litre, V10 motor developing up to 585PS of maximum power and 550Nm of peak torque. Power is sent to the rear wheels via 6-speed sequential transmission and a limited-slip rear differential.