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James Nash swaps WTCC for WRT Audi Blancpain GT deal

World Touring Car Championship frontrunner James Nash is swapping codes to sportscar racing to contest the Blancpain Endurance Series with the WRT Audi squad in 2014

The 28-year-old Briton, who finished third in last year's WTCC with Bamboo Engineering, will race an Audi R8 LMS ultra in the five-round BES together with Frank Stippler and Christopher Mies.

The former British Touring Car Championship driver has raced a GT car on only one occasion up to now.

Nash explained that he was making the switch because there was no possibility to work with a manufacturer in touring cars in 2014.

"Touring cars have been good to me, but this is a change of direction," he said.

"With no manufacturer option available, there was no point in continuing on that route.

"I'm not closing the door on touring cars, but I'd only go back if there was a chance to work with a manufacturer."

His former team Bamboo announced on Thursday that it was pulling out of the WTCC.

Nash added that he had delighted with his WRT deal because "it offered him the chance to work with one of the best teams and some of the best drivers".

Team boss Vincent Vosse added: "I have no doubt that someone who has put a car on pole in the WTCC will be quick. I think James is going to be good."

Nash will next week get his first taste of the WRT Audi R8 at Silverstone, which will host round two of the BES in May.

WRT ANNOUNCES FULL BES LINE-UP

WRT has made three full-time entries for the BES, a series it won in 2012 with Mies, Stephane Ortelli and Christopher Haase.

The lead car will be driven by 2013 FIA GT Series title winner Laurens Vanthoor, Marc Basseng, who is a member of Audi's GT pool, and Brazilian Cesar Ramos, a race winner in the BES last year with the Kessel Ferrari team.

A third car will be entered in the Gentlemen Cup class for WRT co-owner Yves Weerts, experienced French amateur Jean-Luc Blanchemain and Christian Kelders, who raced a Porsche in last year's BES.

A fourth car will be entered for the blue-riband Spa round in July for undisclosed drivers, which will result in a reshuffle of the line-up of the lead car.

Ortelli will not be part of WRT's 2014 BES campaign, but will race for the team in the sister Blancpain Sprint Series and in the Nurburgring 24 Hours.

DID YOU KNOW...
...James Nash has a 100 per cent record in GT racing. He won the GT4 class at the wheel of a Lotus Evora at the Donington Park British GT Championship round in 2011 together with Phil Glew.

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