Ginetta does not let Manor race at Spa
The Manor team, now racing under the name CEFC TRSM Racing, will not be able to participate in the 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps as Ginetta, the supplier of its chassis, is not allowing them to race.
Here’s a start to the season far from ideal for the Manor team. Although they had conducted solid preparation, the team led by Graeme Lowdon was not able to take to the track at Spa-Francorchamps, aside from a small installation lap.
The reason for this non-participation came directly from Ginetta, which supplies the chassis to the team, as explained by Lawrence Tomlinson, its chairman: « We find ourselves in a situation where a UK-based team with excellent skills, infrastructure, and personnel, as well as two recent LMP1 cars and which has fully paid its entry fees for the 2018/2019 WEC season, including for the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2018 and 2019, is unable to race simply due to lack of funds. »
The cause of this cash flow problem stems from the non-payment of the promised sums by TRS, the Chinese sponsor that partly gave its name to the team. The leaders of this private company have set the goal of promoting motorsports in China. Thus, they act as intermediaries between companies wishing to gain international exposure and teams looking for new partners. This is how CEFC, an energy and finance giant with 30,000 employees worldwide, made its appearance as the main sponsor of Manor for this new season.
Ginetta is confident that a solution can be found by the 24 Hours of Le Mans, which will take place next month.
With the participation of www.racingbusiness.fr
