James Higgins announced himself on the global stage last weekend (August 28-30) as he made his eagerly-anticipated debut in the GT World Challenge Europe powered by AWS at the Nürburgring.
Lining up alongside Romain Andriolo and Jean-Baptiste Simmenauer at CSA Racing, the 20-year-old showcased his talents around the legendary German circuit but was ultimately denied the opportunity to secure a finish due to a mechanical issue.
Having wasted no time in establishing himself as a leading light in the McLaren Trophy Europe this season, the British racer received the call-up to compete alongside some of the biggest names in GT3 racing – and he duly grasped the opportunity with both hands.
Completing just a handful of laps in the team’s striking McLaren 720S GT3 EVO prior to the weekend, Higgins quickly got up to speed and enjoyed a competitive showing during Friday’s two pivotal practice sessions.
Come Saturday afternoon, he upped the ante further as he produced a string of sublime laps during qualifying to help clinch a combined starting position of ninth in the Silver Cup Class for Sunday’s three-hour encounter.
It would be Simmenauer that started the contest and after enjoying a relatively trouble-free stint, the Frenchman handed the reigns over to Higgins; who got his head down and remained comfortably inside the top ten of the Silver Cup.
Going wheel-to-wheel with several world-famous racing names, Higgins pitted with an hour remaining however misfortune would strike early into Andriolo’s stint and the team were forced to retire the #555 McLaren.
James Higgins: “Obviously it would have been great to have made it to the finish but I’m heading home with plenty of positives following what was an incredible debut weekend in the GT World Challenge Europe.
“Getting as much seat time as I could heading into the weekend was important and I felt like we hit the ground running during practice; which I was then able to carry forward into qualifying. To then be able to enjoy a relatively trouble-free stint in the race was mega – I certainly learnt a lot.
“I’ve got to say a massive thank you to everyone at CSA Racing, especially Romain and Jean-Baptiste, and I feel like we’re in a good place to round out the season on a high in just over a months’ time.”
Higgins will conclude the GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup season at Portimao in Portugal on October 16-18.
