Le Mans 24 Hours winner Nicki Thiim joins Beechdean AMR line-up for Portimao

Beechdean AMR Beechdean AMR will shuffle its driver line-up for the next round of the Intelligent Money British GT Championship with Le Mans 24 Hours winner and multiple FIA World Endurance Champion Nicki Thiim partnering Andrew Howard at Portimao on July 22-23.

Andrew’s regular co-driver, Ross Gunn, is unavailable to race due to his commitments in the North America-based IMSA series on the same weekend, meaning that fellow Aston Martin works driver Nicki will stand for this event in the Vantage GT3.

Nicki has been one of the world’s most successful GT racers of the past decade. He not only claimed a GTE Am-class victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2014, but also two FIA World Endurance Championship titles in 2016 & ’20.

An overall winner of the Nurburgring 24 Hours and a GTD runner-up at this year’s Daytona 24 Hours, the 34-year-old Dane makes his first appearance in the series since 2019, having finished third in the points the previous season in an Aston Martin.

He was part of an all-star Beechdean AMR line-up that tackled the first half of the GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup last year and now partners two-time British GT Champion Andrew Howard in Portugal at a track where he’s been victorious in other categories.

High Wycombe-based Beechdean AMR currently sit fifth in the British GT Teams’ points while Andrew and Ross are sixth in the Drivers’ standings.

The two-hour Portimao race will be broadcast live on the GT World YouTube channel.

Nicki Thiim said: “I’m looking forward to getting back behind the wheel of the Aston Martin Vantage GT3 with Beechdean AMR for the first time since last summer, and what better place for a guest appearance than in Portugal – where we really need some good ice cream? It’s been clear from the season so far that Andrew’s worked a lot on his performance and has been driving extremely quickly. This, combined with the fact that the fast, fluid corners at Portimao should suit the Aston Martin, means I think we have a very good chance of scoring a strong result and maybe standing on the top step of the podium.”

Andrew Howard, Beechdean AMR Team Principal & Driver said: “When the calendars were published for the season, we were aware that the situation with Ross’s availability might come up and it’s certainly a shame to lose someone who’s been driving at an exceptionally high level this year. In Nicki, however, we have the perfect substitute; a multiple World Champion, Le Mans and Nurburgring 24 Hours winner and someone who knows the Beechdean AMR team inside out from his races with us last year in GT World Challenge Europe. We’ve been so close to winning several races this year and Portimao presents us with another opportunity to put the Aston Martin Vantage GT3 on the top step of the podium.”