December 03, 2014

 

With 2014 coming to a end, Teafor Motorsport manager Quintin Plane reflects on the team's debut year.

With 2014 coming to a end, Teafor Motorsport manager Quintin Plane reflects on the team's debut year in the GPVWC World Sport Series and gives us insight into a number of Teafor Motorsport's potential 2015 campaigns.

Teafor Motorsport's debut came at the German Sport Series (GPVWC) earlier this year, so how do you believe your team?s season has gone?

"First of all, its difficult to join a championship midway through the season. All the other teams and their drivers have had the opportunity to perfect their cars over the previous months, while we're popping up on the grid with no experience of the Flat6 cars. It was difficult for us to get going, but with a fair bit of practice put in, I was extremely pleased that Alexander could bring home some points at our very first race. As for the season as a whole, we took 18th in the constructors which when I look back at it was a decent effort considering our late start to the season."

Was 18th position in the constructors what you expected, or did you expect more?

"Both drivers put in a decent effort to take that position. Considering we were not last in the championship, I'll take that. But as with most teams, we always aim higher. If we had got 17th, we would have wanted 16th, and so on. That is what drives us forward as a team, we are always looking to improve.

Heading into the final event, there was a slim chance of jumping a few teams in the championship, if we scored around 8 more points than their event total. Unfortunately, the Monza track didn't play to the advantages of our two drivers, coming away with no points. It was disappointing at first, but considering what we achieve in just a few events, I can be content with that."

What about a 2015 WSS campaign? Was the events of 2014 enough to persuade you back for a full season?

"One word: Absolutely. We're hoping to go even better this year. Of course, we're subject to the decision regarding our application for the 2015 grid. We've decided to retain Alexander for another season. He brought in the most points, was clearly the fastest of our two 2014 drivers and I believe has the potential to improve given some assistance with car setups. Unfortunately, we say goodbye to Thomas Hinss, who brought the team 4 points last season, and we would like to wish him luck for the future. As for his replacement, we're currently in discussions with a number of drivers, so I have got quite a decision to make as for who will be partnering Alexander in the 2015 World Sports Series campaign."

What are the team's other plans for 2015?

"We are looking to expand our operations into open-wheel racing, starting with the excellent FS1 Championship, run by SimLeague. The league is currently undergoing a number of large changes, including the introduction of custom teams. I have raced in this league for two seasons now and the competitiveness is amazing. Unfortunately, the 2014 season was my final season in the league for a while, as I am moving over to the commentary box to join our 2014 WSS driver Thomas Hinss, providing a broadcast for the championship. As for the Teafor team, I've already got the 2 drivers signed up. Both have impressive career statistics and I look forward to announcing them next month. Elsewhere, we were considered for an entry to the 2015 GPVWC Formula Challenge, however we narrowly missed out on the chance to join the grid."

We've heard about your intentions to a 2015 WSS campaign, but have you got any other similar series lined up?

"GPVWC recently announced a number of independent series, including the return of World GT and a new addition of the Atlantic Series. We are currently considering applications to these series, but we mostly looking at WSS and ITC [International Touring Cup] at GPVWC for our 2015 campaigns."

When can we expect full confirmation of the team's 2015 campaigns?

[Laughs] "When we turn up at the first race. Only then can we confirm anything. To be honest, we are still finalising a number of details for every series, but once these are sorted, I will be announcing each series as and when I can confirm the team's entry."