EAST Yorkshire race Guy Smith has “exceeded expectations” with a runners-up finish in the 2014 Blancpain Endurance Series Pro Drivers Championship in America.
Beverley-born Smith secured second place in the championship with a fifth in class - eighth overall - finish in terrible weather conditions at the iRacing.com Nürburgring 1000 km, the final race of the season.
Along with the runners-up trophy in the drivers championship, Smith and team-mates Andy Meyrick and Steven Kane also captured second place in the teams championship for M-Sport Bentley.
Before that finale, the Bentley Continental GT3 racer claimed Bentley’s first win outside Europe with his victory in the last race of the Pirelli World Challenge at Miller Motorsport Park near Salt Lake City.
The campaign was Smith’s most successful since 2011, with three victories on two continents, including the first at Silverstone and a successful campaign of races in a new car and team in the Continental GT3 and M-Sport Bentley.
He said: “This year really has exceeded my expectations.
“Ever since winter testing at the start of the year we knew that the Continental GT3 had huge potential, but to score race wins and finish second in the championships in our debut year is tremendous.
“The win in the USA with Dyson Racing Team Bentley was also very special.”
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here