Bentley announces largest race programme yet

Bentley Motorsport will contest more than 90 top-level GT races around the world in 2016, as both its works and customer team programmes expand. The Bentley Team M-Sport works outfit will now enter the full Blancpain GT Series. The team has signed 2012 GT Academy Champion and former Nissan works driver Wolfgang Reip to pilot their #8 Continental GT3 in the Blancpain Endurance Series line-up. He will share driving duties with Andy Soucek and Maxime Soulet. When asked why Bentley decided to take on Reip after he was dropped by Nissan, the British firm’s Director of Motorsport, Brian Gush, said that they “look at their toughest competition”, before remarking that “for the last two seasons they have enjoyed some really close battles with Wolfgang so they invited him along to test.” Bentley will also contest the inaugural SRO Intercontinental GT Challenge, which comprises Bathurst 12 Hours, Spa 24 Hours and Sepang 12 Hours. Alongside the works team programme, Bentley Continental GT3s will run in the world’s top national championships; Blancpain Endurance Series; Pirelli World Challenge; GT Asia; ADAC GT Masters and the British GT Championship, with customer and partner teams carefully selected by Gush.