UK based sportscar driver Niki Lanik heads to the South of France for the penultimate FIA GT3 European Champion race meeting this weekend and has his sights firmly on the lead of the Porsche Manufacturers Cup.  The 22-year-old Austrian, who lives in Ashurst Wood in Sussex, has a new driving partner in the #12 Prospeed Competition Porsche 911 with Finland’s Mikael Forsten sharing the driving duties in the two 60-minute races on the 5.8km Paul Ricard circuit.

Three weeks ago in Portugal Niki Lanik, along with Marco Holzer, scored two Porsche Manufacturers Cup victories to cut David Ashburn’s lead in the #22 Trackspeed Porsche to just two points with four races remaining.  Lanik is confident that the change in driving partner wont affect his performances this weekend and he is sure teaming up with Mikael Forsten will help him move closer to his goal of becoming the top Porsche driver in the championship.

Niki Lanik said: “I am looking forward to racing with Mikael.  This will be the first time we’ve raced together but I’m very confident we’ll get the job done this weekend.  My goal is to leave Paul Ricard leading the Porsche Cup, but after getting two 4th place finishes in the previous races, an overall podium finish here would be a nice bonus.  This circuit at Paul Ricard is fantastic, a real driver’s circuit, and one that should suit the Porsche.”

Qualifying for Rounds 9 & 10 of the FIA GT3 European Championship will take place on Saturday 3 October at 12 Noon, with Round 9 the same day at 17:30.  The second of the two 60-minute races will get underway on Sunday 4 October at 16:45.  Live coverage of the two races can be seen on the championship website at www.fiagt3.com, with highlights shown in the UK and across Europe on Motors TV.

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