November 25, 2012
Published on tags: Superleague
Superleague team Nordsjoen Racing announced their 2013 driver line-up at a press conference in Solihull, on the morning of the GPVWC Day.


In front of a group of journalists, GPVWC drivers and managers attending the yearly celebrations of the league, Team Manager William Ponissi introduced the new season as a crucial one for the Italo-Norwegian team, which endured its worst ever campaign in years in 2012, finishing 5th in the Constructors' Championships and with no victories for the first time since 2007.


"The past year has not been a memorable one," started Ponissi, "the loss of Joe Consiglio after just a few rounds, paired with a car that lagged behind in the development race when compared to our rivals meant we had little chance of making an impression."


The experienced manager avoided putting the blame on the drivers: "Pavel Loknovski and [Consiglio's subsitute] Bart De Vos did everything that was in their power to make the season as succesful as possible, but they were both really unlucky. We seemed to be always on the receiving end of some bad luck - every time someone spun, the car seemed to end up in the path of an incoming Nordsjoen."


"In any case," concluded Ponissi, "despite all this we were still deep in the battle for third at the last round, and this shows the strength of our team in the face of all difficulties. I have nothing to complain about my team."


With Bart De Vos having already announced his departure from the team, speculation has been rife on the identity of the 2013 drivers and the fate of Loknovski. Ponissi's recent trip to Ireland was seen by some as an attempt to negotiate a return to the team for Kieran Ryan, who drove for the outfit in its EIRE days in 2003, or Supercup revelation Philip Cullen.


Ponissi was keen to put an end to the speculation, and finally the time to announce the drivers arrived. "2013 is a crucial year for us - we need to get back to the top level in the Superleague, and we need to do it from the start", he said before introducing the full driver line-up with the following video.


Together with the driver line-up, Ponissi also announced a strategic link-up between Nordsjoen Racing and Supercup team Innervision: Pavel Loknovski, who will be acting as tester for Nordsjoen, is now widely expected to be the lead Innervision driver for 2013.


While Lee Morris was sadly unavailable for the presentation, being taken up with some promotional activities in his home town of Doncaster, he released a recorded statement about the appointment.


"As always I aim to win and I'm sure Dave and the team are no different" declared the confident Morris; "my expectation is for 2013 to be back up front in GPVWC after a difficult season in 2012."


"Joining Nordsjoen is fantastic for me, it is something I never expected and I'm sure Will never expected me to be driving for his team! Ffrom my perspective, I think it shows what self reflection can do to improve oneself sometimes. Joining Nordsjoen is great in many ways: having Will as my team manager is the first, I always had a lot of respect for him, not just as league admin but as a human being too. He has a lifestyle that can inspire many."


"The second reason is having Dave Carr-Smith as teammate: he has upped his game this season and really come of age as a driver and it will be interesting to see how we compare in equal machinery. I know we will work well together as we think alike when it comes to racing."


Morris concluded his statement but reflecting on the wasted opportunities of the past within the GPVWC. "Nordsjoen is a proper team for me to join" said the Englishman, "the first team I have joined that I feel is properly run and ready to go racing. I want to forget the last two disappointing years and go forwards."


Dave Carr-Smith was alongside his new team manager to give some quotes about the announcement.


"2013 is a tough one to call. It's easy to get carried away and simply state that we will be fighting for both championships, but realistically, the team has a lot of work ahead before we can contemplate battling for those top positions" said the multiple-race winner, who emerged as one of the biggest stars of 2012. "If we're being sensible, the early stages of the season will be about extracting the maximum from what will likely be a far from ideal situation, given the struggles the team have encountered this year."


Despite all the hype generated by his dominant performances, Carr-Smith remains rooted to the ground: "The aim really has to just be top fives for the early stages of the season, and then hope that we are able to move closer to the front as the season progresses. Race win(s) are a must for us next year, but I don't expect those opportunities to be frequent in the near future."


One of the most ironic twists of this announcement is that Nordsjoen and Carr-Smith have been linked for many years, the first rumours of a link-up dating back to 2007. After all this years, however, the match is set to happen, and the English driver is excited at the idea of working with the team. "Obviously Nordsjoen is a team with a lot of history and past success, so having the opportunity to join a team such as this is one that I have been waiting on for quite some time" he declared. "It is something we have tried to make happen a number of times over the past few years, but something always got in the way, I'm really looking forward to being at the wheel of a Nordsjoen car and hopefully giving the team some solid results to enjoy after what has been a very difficult year for them in 2012."


The main point of talk, however, will surely regard the relationship between Carr-Smith and new teammate Lee Morris, with both drivers being among the fastest in the history of GPVWC. The challenge is up for Carr-Smith. "Having Lee as a teammate is not something that I had expected originally, but it is certainly set to be an interesting experience. Throughout my sim-racing career I don't recall having a teammate that will provide such a stern challenge, as Lee will undoubtedly do next year. We have had our differences in the past but I have known and raced with Lee for over six years now and so I am sure that we will work well together in 2013 both on and off the track as we strive to deliver the results that this team deserves. It's going to be a very interesting partnership, but it is one that I am looking forward to immensely."