Lieb, Bleekemolen signed by Tekno Autosport
Tekno Autosports has officially confirmed that Marc Lieb and Jeroen Bleekemolen will represent the team in the three V8 Supercar endurance events at Sandown, Bathurst and Surfers Paradise later in the year.
Teams are no longer required to sign International co-drivers for the endurance events this year, and while most have opted for local development series pilots, Tekno has signed a highly regarded foreign duo with limited experience in the category.
Thirty two year-old German, Marc Lieb, will once again partner Jonathon Webb in the #19 VF Commodore. The two were an extremely successful combination in last year’s Gold Coast 600, with a podium finish in the opening 300 kilometre stint around the streets of Surfers Paradise.
Lieb is an extremely successful full-time Porsche works driver. The German has achieved three class victories in the Le Mans 24 Hour, most recently in last week’s race alongside Romain Dumas and Richard Lietz. He has also tasted victory in the 24 Hours of Spa, as well as outright success in the Nurburgring 24 Hour on no less than four occasions.
Marc Lieb expressed great enthusiasm at the prospect of once again partnering Jonathon Webb in Tekno Autosport colours, albeit in a greater capacity this season.
“This is fantastic. I always dreamed about driving the Bathurst 1000. I was watching the race as a kid and was fascinated. It will be a big challenge! But I am driving for a great team and I am really happy to be returning to Australia with Tekno and Jonathon”.
Webb was similarly inspired about once again sharing his car with Lieb, adding that “He’s a fast, consistent driver who I can rely on to do the job. Whilst he’s a Bathurst rookie, I know he’ll pick the circuit up fast, and we’ll be up the front for all three races.”
Jeroen Bleekemolen will share the #97 VIP Petfoods backed VF Commdore with Shane van Gisbergen. It will be the Dutchman’s first outing in Holden colours after van Gisbergen made the switch from Ford at the end of last season. The pair achieved two top-10 finishes at last year’s Gold Coast 600 for Stone Brothers Racing, which has since become Erebus Motorsport.
The 31 year-old is also a top level endurance driver, having finished 10th in the LMP2 Class at last weekend’s Le Mans 24 Hour for Race Performance. Like Lieb, Bleekemolen has achieved a class victory in the prestigious race, having won the LMP2 class in 2008 alongside Jos Verstappen and Peter van Merksteijn.
The Dutchman has also gained valuable experience at Mount Panorama in the Bathurst 12 Hour and Carrera Cup support events, which will put him in good stead for the early October event.
“I’m extremely proud to be joining Shane and TEKNO for the V8 Enduros,” said Bleekemolen. “I have always loved watching V8 Supercars and doing Gold Coast last year was a great experience. The team is running very strongly in the Championship this year, so I can’t wait to go out there and fight for good results.”
Shane van Gisbergen affirmed his satisfaction with the announcement, expressing that “[Bleekemolen is] fast, he’s clean and he’s driven and won in almost everything, so I know he’ll be a great partner to me for the enduros this year.”
The Gold Coast-based Tekno Autosports outfit has continued to climb the V8 Supercar ladder in 2013, and currently sits fourth in the Team’s Championship. Shane van Gisbergen and Jonathon Webb are currently 4th and 10th in the drivers’ championship respectively.
The Sandown 500 kicks off the inaugural endurance cup for 2013 on the 15th of September. The Bathurst 1000 and Gold Coast 600 will follow in October.
