Questions & Answers with Joe TWYMAN - Ecurie Ecosse - BMW Z4 n°79 - GTC

1) After the Red Bull Ring event, what did you do to keep fit during the summer break?

For me it is a little different. As we have 4 drivers in the three Ecurie Ecosse seats I haven't raced the Z4 since Imola in May. In that time I have however competed in quite a few historic races both in Europe and the UK and kept my fitness regime up throughout the summer months. Generally I enjoy being active, so I do a lot of running and gym work. I have also recently started 'Soul Cycle' with Phil Quaife who used to drive in the ELMS a couple of years ago! I am sure the last two rounds will be pretty warm, so I feel fit and ready to take on the heat of the Z4 cockpit! 

2) We will discover two special tracks until the end of the season: Hungaroring, a Formula 1 circuit, and the Paul Ricard, a modern and safety reference in motorsports. Have you raced on these before and what can you say about these tracks?

I have never raced at the Hungaroring, but by all accounts it sounds like a fantastic circuit. I will use the simulator at Silverstone and Youtube to get an idea of where it goes before I get there and I am looking forward to racing somewhere different- hopefully it will suit our little BMW. Paul Ricard on the other hand I know very well. I have raced there many times in the past in both modern and historic cars. Most recently I did the 2012 Blancpain Endurance Series race there. We were on course for a top 10 finish before we had a fuel issue on the last lap... Hopefully it will be kinder to us this year!

 3) We have two races to the end of the 2013 ELMS season, how do you see the near future and what are expectations?

At present Ollie Millroy and Ecurie Ecosse lead the GTC Championship. The short term future needs to be dealt with and we will take each race as it comes and play to our strengths. We expect the Ferrari's to be strong but hope that the Balance of Performance swings in our favour to allow us to compete on a level playing field. I would desperately love Ollie and Ecosse to win the GTC Championship this year and hope it leads to a 2014 Le Mans entry for the team!

4) After three races with more cars, more drivers, more races, what do you think about the success of the new 2013 ELMS format?

Driving in the ELMS this year has been incredible. Whilst I didn't race in the old format, I have been very impressed with the way the series has been run this year and am sure the foundations for a long and successful future are firmly in place.