Coates is ready to enter Dragon’s den
North motor sport with ZOE BURN
NORTH Yorkshire racing driver Max Coates will be part of a brand new team effort in the inaugural British Endurance Championship next month as he joins Dragon Sport by Amigo.
The Scorton ace will return to the series as he takes the wheel of an Opel Astra in the TCR category alongside series debutant Rhys Lloyd.
And when the championship gets under way at the Silverstone Grand Prix circuit on March 12, the squad – run by Amigo Motorsport’s Rob Gaffney – is hoping to come out fighting.
Coates is no stranger to the Britcar series – the BTCC Support series veteran competed in the category in 2019 in a Seat Cupra TCR with Guy Colclough, setting a number of pole positions and finishing third in class.
Not only was he a pacesetter in qualifying, but the 28-year-old also took a double victory in TCR UK at Donington Park that same year, driving a car that was racing at Oulton Park less than 24 hours prior.
Along with Britcar duties as a driver coach for Team BRIT and the Heler & Beeson TCR entry from Paul Sheard Motorsport, Coates is also set to return to the MINI Challenge this season in a final bid for the title before an anticipated move to the BTCC.
For now, his eyes are fixed firmly on a strong show for the new Dragon Sport squad.
“The lure of endurance racing has been with me since the close of the 2019
Britcar season so when Rhys needed a driving partner I jumped at the opportunity,” he said.
“We have been teammates before in 24hr races and I’ve known Rob since we raced against each other in 2012, so I feel very at home with everyone and I’m getting to grips with the car. The majority of my racing is in a sprint format so this a great opportunity for me to widen my skillset and get involved in the endurance side of the sport. We’ve got a few things to work on before round one but have a testing plan in place to ensure we are prepared.”
His co-driver, Welsh property developer Lloyd, added: “I am excited by the challenge of setting up a new team, working with Max and a new car, and entering an all new Britcar Endurance Championship in 2022.
“It’s all been a bit of a rush last few weeks as the car only arrived from Denmark in early February.
“We’ve completed a few test days and everything has gone well, we both seem to be on the pace and the team are learning how this new car works very quickly.”
Coates has also been out at Snetterton this week testing for the Britcar series as well as with the Graves Motorsport squad for his 2022
MINI Challenge title bid.