In only his first year of sportscar racing. Tom Kimber-Smith enjoyed a strong 2006 with Team LNT as he finished as runner-up in the British GT Championship and clinched a dramatic GT2 class win in the Le Mans 24 Hours with Lawrence Tomlinson and Richard Dean.
Into 2007, Kimber-Smith will be competing in the Le Mans Series at the wheel of one of the teams distinctive Panoz Esperantes and will also aim to make it two wins in a row at La Sarthe when the famous 24 Hours gets underway in June.
Crash.net spoke to Tom to look ahead to the new season…
Q:
Hard to believe you only started out in sportscars a year ago but after a fine 2006 it looks like another exciting season ahead.
Tom Kimber-Smith:
Last year was a very good first year for me. I did quite a few GT races and the first one was at Sebring which is a pretty big race to start your GT career in. Then I went on to win Le Mans which was obviously another big race for me and something I’ll remember for the rest of my life. The last year was very good but looking to 2007 it could be another good year. I now know that I have Sebring, Petit Le Mans and Le Mans to do as well as all of the Le Mans Series so it looks good.
Q:
It must be nice in mid-January to know that you a drive lined up for the three big races on the calendar.
Tom Kimber-Smith:
Definitely, it gives you a lot more time to focus on what you want to achieve, you don’t have to worry about who you are going to drive for an when your next drive is going to come. You know exactly what you need to do and it’s a very nice feeling.
Q:
The first race will be at Sebring with the factory Panoz team. How did that deal come about?
Tom Kimber-Smith:
It came through LNT who now have a management role with me. They put my name about through the Panoz family and came up with this drive for me. As I said, Sebring was my first race last year and I really enjoyed it and wanted to do it again this year. It should be very exciting.
Q:
Does a deal like that give you scope to pass on data that you have gained during the past year with LNT and then bring something back from the States to benefit them?
Tom Kimber-Smith:
Definitely. The more we drive the car, the more the Panoz will develop and challenge for wins with Porsche and
Ferrari. I know Porsche are bringing out a new car this year and over the winter we have done a lot of development to keep progress with the new cars coming out. Before Christmas we did a shakedown test with our new car and what we saw there was good news and sets us up well for the new season.
Q:
How excited are you at the prospect of doing the six Le Mans Series races which will be different to the British GT races from last year?
