February 09, 2015

 

Simon Smith's perennial purple plodders, BackMarker Brigade, once again take on Formula Challenge for 2015.

Simon Smith, whom has not scored a point since Spa 2013, will again be wrestling around the snail machine and will be joined by Andreas Wauters, of Wauters Automotive fame for the 2015 season.

"Last year was an awful season for me personally and professionally and that frustration crept through onto the track" laments Smith. "I should have scored in Spa and Interlagos - perhaps Austria too but I found myself second guessing my driving and tensing up in the car. It rarely felt fluid all year."

Andreas Wauters adds stability in the second car and a guiding touch for the team.

"I'd like to thank Marco Vandenbroeck, Joshua Anderson and Lewis McGlade for their efforts in 2014, especially Lewis' who has gone onto better things - much like many of our former drivers over the eight years we've been in sim racing. Andreas was the guy I knew who'd turn up, give maximum effort, be respectful to everyone on track and have a chilled out pre and post team meeting for the races. He has a calm fire to him that makes me laugh and appreciate his cool character. We need that at the back of the grid where things are tough. He's a welcome addition to the Meep family."

As for targets, BackMarker Brigade have few. "I'd personally like to score this year - more than once - and run a respectful existence" says Simon - whose rFactor simracing began in 2008. "I'm experienced and can bring the car home. It just may be a minute behind most others. Together with Andreas and a few key partnerships to help us understand the technical aspects of the car better, maybe we can close down that gap somewhat."

A 2014 montage of Smith's highlights will be released at the end of the month.