Midnight confirm 2014 'Dream Team'

The past two years have been incredible for Midnight Motorsport. We started as a new team, with no budget and heavily underperforming car. Since then we have been on an upwards spiral and have now achieved two Drivers and Constructors World Championships, a feat that Team Owner, Nick Rowland is extremely proud of.

2013 was one of the most challenging campaigns undertaken by the Manchester based team. There were difficulties with setup and a breakdown in communication which contributed to a difficult start to the early part of the season. The second half of the season was a coming of age for Alex Cooper as experience and speed blended harmoniously for great qualifying laps, particularly pole in Korea followed by consistent top fives. 2013 World Champion, Lukas Euler also had it tough but still took six victories in the year. One of the greatest drives of the Germans career came at the Japanese Grand Prix in Suzuka, securing the Constructors title in the process.

With the dark nights drawn in and a brisk arctic blast set to sweep England we look forward to 2014. Careful evaluation has been made on current, Superleague and Supercup drivers. This while treading the fine line that is the balancing act of team management making sure the team has the best possible chance of another title challenge in 2014.

With that said we proudly announce the 2014 driver line up at Midnight Motorsport. Retaining his number one car and returning for a third year, German sensation, Lukas Euler.

The driver that would step in to the number two car was a difficult decision taken by the team and many options evaluated. It is with great warmth that we welcome a new driver to the team, the formidable talent and 2013 Supercup Champion, Italian, Giuseppe Rainieri.

We are also very pleased to have retained the talent of Alex Cooper who will stay within Midnight Motorsport as the third driver and will take part in all tests and practice sessions.

#01, Lukas Euler (GER):

After 2012 we knew that we had performed on a high level, but there were a few things that we wanted to improve upon for 2013. In my opinion, as a team, we did not perform to our 2012 standards, neither did I as a driver. After two consecutive titles, there is a lot less pressure for me going into 2014, we have certainly sorted out a lot of the issues we had last year, so our aim has to be to at least get back on the 2012 level, if not perform even better. That will be needed to react to the immense increase in driving quality. If we do what we are surely capable of, I do not see why we cannot make it three in a row.

I am glad to welcome Giuseppe to our team. He has done a stellar job in Supercup throughout the 2013 season, securing his title in style. We all saw what a talent he is, in case people did not already know. Obviously our aim is to have the strongest team available, and in my opinion this is it. With Alex stepping back from a race seat for the Superleague, again I would like to thank him for the job he did in 2013 and I am very happy that he is staying with our team.
Overall, I feel like we have a team, with three drivers that are all willing to give it their all, to get the best possible result we can achieve. We have the best management in the league and I think that all speaks for itself. I haven’t had the pleasure of working with Giuseppe in a team yet, but I am sure we are both hard workers and that will only lead to success.

After two great seasons, everyone is pretty much expecting us to continue doing what we do. But my goal is to perform on my highest level throughout the whole season, a thing that I, especially in 2013, did not do. Obviously I hope to claim a few more records, but that is not a must. The only must is to do all I can to deliver the best for our team.

#02, Giuseppe Rainieri (ITA):

At last I can say it; I am a Midnight driver for next season! It was very difficult to keep this a secret because I had so many offers and so many questions about which team I would be driving for next season. I feel a bit like Lewis Hamilton in 2007 because I know that it will be hard to win immediately, especially because I’m joining a team with a team-mate that is a double GPVWC Superleague champion.

But I am very happy, because I think that this is the best team for me to prove my skills in the highest tier of GPVWC competition. Of course in GPVWC the quality of the car is also very important and I think that this is the dream of every driver, to join the Superleague with the best team in the league, so of course I will try to gain the best possible results for both me and the team.

When you have a very fast team-mate, I think this can only be good for everyone, in terms of working on the setup together and finding the limits of the car quicker than everyone else. Lukas will be, of course, the first driver of the team but I will try to get some important results anyway, with the most respect for him and the team. I have a great team mate and this must be a motivation and not an internal war. Throughout my career, I have never had a problem with a team-mate, so I am very confident that this will work well.

We also cannot forget the important job that Alex will be fulfilling as reserve driver, he has proven himself to be extremely valuable to the team and committed to the project and that will be very important for our season. I must say thanks to Nick and Dave, because they were very eager to have me in the car and now, here I am, ready for the season to start.

Of course the target is the Drivers’ Championship, I have a long career with a lot of experience so it should be possible to at least aim for this. But every championship is unique and if you go to the track with a high conviction that you will easily win, this is when you will fail. This is all new for me and so we must start with reasonable expectations, in the beginning the target will be to get a podium and then a pole and then a win. Only at the end will we be able to say whether or not the Drivers’ championship is a possibility for me, but I am confident that together with Lukas, we can work towards securing another Constructors’ championship for Midnight. It won’t be easy, but we have high hopes.

#31, Alex Cooper (GBR):

Obviously I was a little disappointed when I found out that I hadn’t retained my race seat for the 2014 season, but staying with Midnight as a reserve driver is really the next best, and only, option as far as I am concerned.

2013 was an underwhelming year for me, but I thoroughly enjoyed working with Lukas and I have to thank him for all of his help throughout the season. For 2014, I am hoping that the step back to a reserve role will give me the time to improve upon my skills required for me to make a successful return to a race seat in the future.

Working with Lukas once again will be a pleasure, as it has been for the past two years; he is by far the most dedicated and hardworking team-mate I have ever had throughout my sim-racing career. Working alongside Giuseppe will be a new challenge, but it is one that I am looking forward to greatly, clearly he is super quick as shown by both his Supercup campaign and the race he did in the Superleague at Monza for Nijo. I am convinced that he will be able to push Lukas just as much as I have done throughout this past season.

As for the rest of the team, there really is no change when compared to the 2012 and 2013 seasons; we’re all on the same page and we’ll be pushing hard to retain our titles. I will of course be just as involved as I was throughout my previous two seasons with the team.

I think it’s safe to say that my hopes for 2014 are just the same as everyone else’s, to work as hard as possible to ensure that we are able to bring home both championships for a third year in succession. My own personal targets, I’d just like to collect every possible R&D point in the sessions with which I am involved to ensure that I do the best possible job for the team and as I mentioned previously, improve upon the skills I lacked in 2013.

Having our drivers sorted early now allows the team to have a well-deserved break after a gruelling season and fantastic GPVWC Day in Amsterdam. Thank you to the admin team for all their hard work. We look forward to 2014.