Paul Jeffrey
Premium
64-year-old former Williams Grand Prix driver Riccardo Patrese returns to racing at this month's Spa 24 Hours with Honda.
The Italian six time Formula One race winner, famous for his close partnership with Nigel Mansell during the Williams heydays of the early 1990's, has confirmed his return to top level motorsport at this month's Blancpain Total Spa 24 Hours, signing for the crack JAS Motorsport run Honda NSX GT3 team.
Patrese has been away from the racing cockpit for a number of years since the demise of the potentially epic GP Masters Series in 2006, however when the opportunity to join forces with JAS and Honda presented itself recently, the affable Italian found the temptation to return to one of his favourite circuits too difficult to resist:
“Spa-Francorchamps has been one of my favourite circuits for a long, long time and I thought I’d raced there for the last time 25 years ago, so when I was given the opportunity to join Castrol Honda Racing and drive such an exciting car as the NSX GT3, I couldn’t say no.
"I haven’t had too much seat time in the car yet so I’m re-learning things every time I complete another lap, but I’m excited about the race the car and to work again with a team and breathe in the atmosphere of a race.”
Patrese has already spent time in the NSX with test sessions at both Spa and Italian circuit Cervesina in a bid to ready himself for the jewel in the crown of the Blancpain season, no doubt looking to support the victory bid of team mates Bertrand Baguette and Esteban Guerrieri alongside fellow team debutant Loic Depailler, son of fellow Grand Prix driver and French favourite Patrick Depailler, who passed away in an Alfa Romeo Grand Prix car at the 1980 German Grand Prix.
Spa in a closed top GT car is nothing new to Patrese, the driver having secured overall honours in the 1985 Spa 1000km sportscar race.
Yet another interesting side story to the biggest event in GT3 racing in the modern era...
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