Thailand’s OD Racing Team WRT fans made their presence felt at Buriram last weekend when thousands travelled from across the country to support Mitch Gilbert and Aditya Patel’s latest Blancpain GT Series Asia outing.
On Friday, more than 2000 fans turned up at a dinner to welcome the team and drivers ahead of the weekend’s races. Even more then attended the Chang International Circuit on both Saturday and Sunday, crowding the team during the pit and grid walk.
Indeed, OD Racing’s fans made a telling contribution towards the weekend’s overall 26,000-strong attendance.
“It was an amazing weekend that started with a more positive pace from our outing in Sepang and a spectacular welcome from the OD Racing fans in Thailand,” said Cornelius Ee, Director of OD Racing Team WRT.
“It definitely was a fantastic sight when you look out and see a sea of OD Racing supporters cheering us on. Everyone at the paddock was talking about it.”
After finishing second in both 2017’s GT3 Overall and Silver Cup standings, OD Racing’s Gilbert and Patel endured a tough start to the new season at Sepang. However, there were more positive signs at Buriram where their Audi demonstrated top-six race pace.
“We had a weekend of progress!” said Gilbert. “We still aren’t where we want to be but we are definitely going in the right direction and we were on for two good finishes.
“We had a crazy amount of support this weekend with thousands of people coming to see us. It’s amazing to see how much support we have and how it’s constantly growing. A big thank you to OD Racing, Aditya, WRT and of course the fans. We are getting there.”
Patel added: “As far as results went, it wasn’t ideal but we do feel fairly confident going into Suzuka. The car was pretty good in Race 2 which gave us a base to start with in Japan.
“The support was unreal! Huge thanks to OD Racing for the special weekend. Can’t wait for the next one!”
Suzuka hosts rounds five and six of this season’s Blancpain GT Series Asia campaign on June 30 – July 1.