European LMP3 race winner Ricky Capo will line up alongside Steven Richards in the BMW Team SRM M6 GT3 at the Sandown’s third round of the Australian GT Championship this weekend.
Capo is an experienced open-wheeler, GT, and sports car driver, with an impressive CV that includes winning the 2015 Australian Formula 3 Championship.
Capo then raced a privately-run BMW Z4 GT3 in 2016’s Australian GT championship, before making his international debut at the Zandvoort F3 Masters in Holland. He then raced the BMW Z4 GT3 at the FIA GT World Cup race at the famous Macau circuit.
In 2017 Capo continued to race overseas, teaming up with ‘M.Racing – YMR’ for a partial European Le Mans Series programme in a LMP3 car, taking the class win at the 4 hours of Monza round with Erwin Creed.
He’s now set to return to Australian GT and BMW machinery, with a deal to race the SRM M6 GT3 that’s been two years in the making.
“I did a handful of rounds in Australian GT in 2016 with the BMW Z4 GT3 and we were quite competitive,” said Capo.
“I was pitted with Steve and the BMW Team SRM crew at those races, so it was a great opportunity to get to know them all. We always talked about the possibility of working together with the M6 GT3 and I’m really happy that it’s come to fruition.
“It’s useful having some insight into how a BMW racing car works, but I’m also mindful of the fact that the M6 is a very different beast to the Z4.
“I’ve been looking over some technical documents and I can see that it’s a different style of car, which I find really exciting. I like a new challenge.
“The deal came together quite quickly, but I feel well-prepared. I’ve been training hard because I know these opportunities can come up at any time. I’m just looking forward to getting in the car and learning as much as I can.”
Team owner and lead driver Richards added that Capo is the ideal signing to keep the team’s excellent start to the 2018 season going.
“Ricky is a great addition to the team; he’s got a lot of experience in a wide variety of high-downforce cars,” said Richards.
“We worked with Ricky during the 2016 season when he was running the BMW Z4 GT3, so we know a bit about how he goes about the business. I think he’s a great candidate to help us get some results at Sandown.
“I have no doubt he’ll be able to get up to speed in the BMW M6 GT3, given how much experience in different cars and on different circuits he has.
“He’s raced at Macau, he’s done some racing in LMP3, so he knows what he’s doing. And to have someone that can step in the car and get stuck into it is very important.”
BMW Team SRM enjoyed a breakthrough result last time out, Richards and Michael Almond finishing third in the first long-distance race of the AGT season at The Bend in South Australia.
The AGT action at Sandown kicks off with practice on Friday afternoon, before three 40-minute races split across Saturday and Sunday.
