Grantham-based Richardson Racing is welcoming back Louise Richardson for this weekend's rounds of the Michelin Ginetta GT Supercup at Snetterton. After being forced to miss the last two meetings due to accident damage, Louise returns to race alongside her brother Andrew Richardson in the G50 class, with both drivers aiming to make a real impact around the new '300' circuit.
Louise, a championship contender in the 2010 Ginetta Junior Championship, makes a welcome return to action after having to miss the meetings at Oulton Park and Croft due to substantial damage caused when she was caught up in a startline incident at Thruxton in May.
In preparation for her return, Louise headed to Norfolk last week to shakedown her car, which underwent a full rebuild after Thruxton. It also gave her the chance to sample the new '300' layout for the first time and after a good test, she is confident of adding to the podium finishes she clinched at Donington Park earlier in the season.
Louise commented: “I really can't wait to get back behind the wheel this weekend. It's been pretty difficult watching on from the sidelines, especially since my exams finished and I didn't have something else to focus on.
“The shakedown test we did at Snetterton went well and after the rebuild, the car felt better than it ever has done before. There were a few small issues that we'll resolve for the weekend, but it felt brilliant. In a weird way, the accident at Thruxton has actually helped in the long-term as we discovered some chassis damage that we'd been carrying all season. Now that we've fixed that and the car has been rebuilt again, the handling is way better than it was before.
“When I first got behind the wheel in the test I was a little rusty after the time out but it was like driving a new car and by the end of the day I was matching the pace of Jake Hill and Jody Fannin which leaves me confident for the weekend ahead. I definitely think I have a car that I can use to fight for victory and I'm confident that we can get the pace out of it; it's just down to me to find the speed.”
Andrew also headed to Snetterton last week to get reacquainted with his G50, which he last raced in the final race meeting before the summer break at Croft, some eight weeks ago. That meeting in Yorkshire saw Andrew secure his second class victory of the season in tricky wet conditions, a result he is hoping to repeat at Snetterton.
Andrew said: “We had a good test at Snetterton last week and I'm happy with the balance of my car, although we only ran on old tyres so we need to see what the car will be like on fresh rubber. The changes they have made to the circuit will really help with the racing as there are some good corners that you can really carry speed into. Initially I was a bit worried about the changes as I really liked the old layout at Snetterton, but now I've had chance to try it out, I'm impressed with what they have done.
“The fact we've done a test at Snetterton means we're on a more level playing field going into the weekend and I'm confident that we can challenge towards the front. The weather forecast suggests there could be some rain and if there is, that might help us even more as it really equals things out and I showed at Croft that I can be strong in those conditions.
“You can never say it's over in the championship until it is absolutely over, but I'm going out for the second half of the season with the aim of going for as many victories as possible and doing the best I can every time we go on track.”
