Fresh from his first run in the ROKiT MB Motorsport BMW 330e M Sport at Donington Park on Tuesday, Jake Hill said he is ‘incredibly excited’ by the prospect of his debut race in the mighty Panoz LMP07 Le Mans Prototype at the Peter Auto Tour, racing at the Mugello Circuit in Italy this weekend.
The car’s owner, Simon Watts, will also race the car in the second of the two races in the Endurance Racing Legends class at the superb 3.26-mile venue in Tuscany, with Hill qualifying and racing in the opening 40 minute race on Saturday (2nd April), before Watts takes the wheel the following day.
“When Simon acquired the car from the States, it required a total rebuild. The team at John Danby Racing (JDR), whom I have worked with since 2016, took the task on and last summer the car was ready to go. We completed four days of pretty thorough running, and by the end had the car running as quickly as it did when it was raced in 2002 by Jan Magnussen and David Brabham.
“It’s an incredible car to drive – 600 plus horsepower and so much aerodynamic and mechanical grip. At Donington Park last year, we saw 161mph through the Craner Curves and Mugello looks to have such a fantastic mix of corners I think it’s going to be super-quick there.
“It couldn’t be much more different to my ROKiT MB Motorsport BMW 330e M Sport really! I’m incredibly grateful to Simon for trusting me with the Panoz, and I think we have a really good chance of running very competitively.”
The Peter Auto Tour takes on some of the most spectacular circuits in Europe, adding Spa-Francorchamps, Dijon-Prenois, Estoril and the Le Mans Classic to the Mugello event, with Hill and Watts planning on entering at least three events.
“We currently are racing the Panoz at Mugello and Dijon, but would love to also do Le Mans if we can get an entry. Simon also has his 1973 Chevron B26 and his 1975 BMW 3.0 CSL ‘Batmobile’ that he’s racing this weekend, but I am sharing them with him at Dijon in June, so we have some amazing events lined up.”
For now though, Hill focuses on taming the Panoz and knows the Endurance Racing Legends has an entry of both quality and quantity.
“The series is for Prototype and GT cars from the 90’s and 00’s – most having raced at Le Mans and the World Championship. One of my favourite cars – the Bentley Speed 8 that finished 1-2 at Le Mans in 2003 – is racing so I know that will be tough to beat. I might need to ask my manager Mark Blundell for tips on how to beat it – he was in the car that finished second that year!”
On returning from Italy, the next track action for Hill will be the second Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship Official Test Day at Croft next Wednesday (6th), and is keen to build on the promising start the team had last Tuesday.
“The ROKiT MB Motorsport BMW ran superbly and we got a lot done on the day. It’s a steep learning curve but the team is doing a fantastic job, so I’m feeling very confident already.”
Catch Hill in action via the Peter Auto website this Saturday, 2nd April at 14:55 BST.
Image courtesy of Jakob Ebrey Photography.