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November 27, 2012
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Midnight Motorsport has confirmed that Alex Cooper will take to the wheel of the team's second car for the duration of the 2013 season, with Jamez Shepherd returning to his previous role as reserve driver and Team Owner Nick Rowland announcing his sabbatical from competition at GPVWC.
The team had been keeping quiet with regards to the identity of its second driver with Rowland, Cooper and Shepherd all believed to be in the running to fulfill the role alongside current Superleague Champion Lukas Euler who was retained by the team earlier this year. Today's announcement confirms however, that Alex Cooper, who fulfilled the role of test and reserve driver throughout the 2012 season will make the step up to Superleague from Midnight Motorsport's partner team in Supercup, CSG Racing, following what has been a very impressive first full season campaign for the young Englishman.
Cooper delivered a number of great performances throughout the 2012 season with a massive eight victories for CSG Racing in the Supercup, eventually finishing a clear second in the championship just seven points behind eventual Supercup champion Petter Kaasa. He also took part in two Superleague races for Midnight Motorsport, resulting in a sixth place finish at the Dutch GP and a shock victory at the Japanese GP following some eventful post-race antics.
Team Owner Nick Rowland had the following to say:
"It has been long speculated as to who would take the second seat at Midnight due to the number of very talented drivers within our team structure. This season, Alex has shown exceptional determination, skill and effort to realise his potential in the Supercup. These talents deserve to be recognized and as such I am proud to be able to say that Alex will be taking the second Superleague drive for 2013. I personally believe that he has the ability to deliver just as many, if not more, of the great performances we have witnessed in 2012. This promotion serves only to strengthen the Midnight Motorsport team and we can now look forward to a prosperous 2013."
Alex Cooper was understandably excited about the opportunity:
"It is a huge opportunity. I'm looking forward to competing at the very top with the big names of the series. It will be a challenge but it is one that I look forward to massively, after working with Midnight Motorsport for the past year there was nowhere else that I wanted to be. Once the offer came it was simply impossible to turn down, to be able to step straight into such a great team for my first Superleague season is a huge privilege.
Having worked with Lukas already for the past year as part of my reserve driver role we already have a very good working relationship and find it very easy to communicate with each other. It shouldn't be too difficult to get used to, once we have a routine in pre-season we'll stick to that throughout the year. The great thing about Midnight is the team atmosphere, and having experienced that throughout the last year, I don't foresee any issues in this department whatsoever.
In terms of my aims for the season, it is easy to set the bar too high, jumping into a championship winning team in your rookie season doesn't happen too often. I'll be taking it race by race, as long as I bring home the results that the team expect, I'll be happy. Lukas is a great driver and I don't expect to be beating him straight away, but as long as I'm fairly close and we have some good races, that will be enough for me."
The move to confirm Alex Cooper in the second seat at Midnight Motorsport also clears the path for Jamez Shepherd to be announced as the team's reserve driver for the 2013 season, with the Australian being confirmed as a member of the 2013 lineup last week.
Team Owner Nick Rowland was enthusiastic about the knowledge and understanding that Shepherd's return brings to the team:
"When we first started discussions with Jamez it was evident that he was keen to return to the Midnight fold in whatever capacity was available to him. Bringing Jamez in to the team at the start of the 2012 season was a massive boost to us and our development due to his exceptional technical understanding. We respected his desire to race full time but he showed a keen interest in returning to Midnight. I made clear that a race seat was highly unlikely due to the team already having agreed on Alex's promotion. Therefore to strengthen our 2013 campaign even further it is fantastic to welcome back our dynamic Aussie friend in what will be an expansive technical role."
Returnee Jamez Shepherd was clearly eager to get back to work:
"It's a very exciting position to be in, supporting two of the very best open wheel drivers in the GPVWC. We have a very busy winter ahead of us to help us fully understand the 2013 car, especially with the introduction of the dynamic climatic conditions, which is going to make my job on the pit wall during the races a lot of fun!"
These two announcements however do of course mean that Nick Rowland will not be driving for the team in 2013; the owner/driver having decided to take a sabbatical of undefined length from competition at the GPVWC following his most successful season to date. Rowland enjoyed a fruitful 2012 season with fourteen podiums from eighteen races and the first two wins of his career with victories in Abu Dhabi and Hungary. He eventually finished the season in a clear second position, behind only teammate, and season champion, Lukas Euler.
Rowland appeared pleased to exit, at least for now, on a high note after a strong 2012 campaign:
"It was a long, tough decision that took many weeks for me to decide upon before confirming what I would do next year. I have decided to take a sabbatical from GPVWC competition in 2013. I am not retiring, but other ambitions and projects are of great interest to me and after what has been my most successful season ever I feel that now is the time to explore these new avenues. On a personal note, I want to thank everyone involved in Midnight Motorsport throughout the 2012 season, all our sponsors, our fellow competitors throughout the various series and of course the administrators. I will remain active as the Team Owner of Midnight Motorsport, but will no longer participate in a driving capacity."
The team had been keeping quiet with regards to the identity of its second driver with Rowland, Cooper and Shepherd all believed to be in the running to fulfill the role alongside current Superleague Champion Lukas Euler who was retained by the team earlier this year. Today's announcement confirms however, that Alex Cooper, who fulfilled the role of test and reserve driver throughout the 2012 season will make the step up to Superleague from Midnight Motorsport's partner team in Supercup, CSG Racing, following what has been a very impressive first full season campaign for the young Englishman.
Cooper delivered a number of great performances throughout the 2012 season with a massive eight victories for CSG Racing in the Supercup, eventually finishing a clear second in the championship just seven points behind eventual Supercup champion Petter Kaasa. He also took part in two Superleague races for Midnight Motorsport, resulting in a sixth place finish at the Dutch GP and a shock victory at the Japanese GP following some eventful post-race antics.
Team Owner Nick Rowland had the following to say:
"It has been long speculated as to who would take the second seat at Midnight due to the number of very talented drivers within our team structure. This season, Alex has shown exceptional determination, skill and effort to realise his potential in the Supercup. These talents deserve to be recognized and as such I am proud to be able to say that Alex will be taking the second Superleague drive for 2013. I personally believe that he has the ability to deliver just as many, if not more, of the great performances we have witnessed in 2012. This promotion serves only to strengthen the Midnight Motorsport team and we can now look forward to a prosperous 2013."
Alex Cooper was understandably excited about the opportunity:
"It is a huge opportunity. I'm looking forward to competing at the very top with the big names of the series. It will be a challenge but it is one that I look forward to massively, after working with Midnight Motorsport for the past year there was nowhere else that I wanted to be. Once the offer came it was simply impossible to turn down, to be able to step straight into such a great team for my first Superleague season is a huge privilege.
Having worked with Lukas already for the past year as part of my reserve driver role we already have a very good working relationship and find it very easy to communicate with each other. It shouldn't be too difficult to get used to, once we have a routine in pre-season we'll stick to that throughout the year. The great thing about Midnight is the team atmosphere, and having experienced that throughout the last year, I don't foresee any issues in this department whatsoever.
In terms of my aims for the season, it is easy to set the bar too high, jumping into a championship winning team in your rookie season doesn't happen too often. I'll be taking it race by race, as long as I bring home the results that the team expect, I'll be happy. Lukas is a great driver and I don't expect to be beating him straight away, but as long as I'm fairly close and we have some good races, that will be enough for me."
The move to confirm Alex Cooper in the second seat at Midnight Motorsport also clears the path for Jamez Shepherd to be announced as the team's reserve driver for the 2013 season, with the Australian being confirmed as a member of the 2013 lineup last week.
Team Owner Nick Rowland was enthusiastic about the knowledge and understanding that Shepherd's return brings to the team:
"When we first started discussions with Jamez it was evident that he was keen to return to the Midnight fold in whatever capacity was available to him. Bringing Jamez in to the team at the start of the 2012 season was a massive boost to us and our development due to his exceptional technical understanding. We respected his desire to race full time but he showed a keen interest in returning to Midnight. I made clear that a race seat was highly unlikely due to the team already having agreed on Alex's promotion. Therefore to strengthen our 2013 campaign even further it is fantastic to welcome back our dynamic Aussie friend in what will be an expansive technical role."
Returnee Jamez Shepherd was clearly eager to get back to work:
"It's a very exciting position to be in, supporting two of the very best open wheel drivers in the GPVWC. We have a very busy winter ahead of us to help us fully understand the 2013 car, especially with the introduction of the dynamic climatic conditions, which is going to make my job on the pit wall during the races a lot of fun!"
These two announcements however do of course mean that Nick Rowland will not be driving for the team in 2013; the owner/driver having decided to take a sabbatical of undefined length from competition at the GPVWC following his most successful season to date. Rowland enjoyed a fruitful 2012 season with fourteen podiums from eighteen races and the first two wins of his career with victories in Abu Dhabi and Hungary. He eventually finished the season in a clear second position, behind only teammate, and season champion, Lukas Euler.
Rowland appeared pleased to exit, at least for now, on a high note after a strong 2012 campaign:
"It was a long, tough decision that took many weeks for me to decide upon before confirming what I would do next year. I have decided to take a sabbatical from GPVWC competition in 2013. I am not retiring, but other ambitions and projects are of great interest to me and after what has been my most successful season ever I feel that now is the time to explore these new avenues. On a personal note, I want to thank everyone involved in Midnight Motorsport throughout the 2012 season, all our sponsors, our fellow competitors throughout the various series and of course the administrators. I will remain active as the Team Owner of Midnight Motorsport, but will no longer participate in a driving capacity."
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