FFSA GT – Mixture of experience and new blood at AKKA-ASP

Customer stable of Mercedes in GT3 for several seasons, the AKKA-ASP team announces its return to national competitions. In 2018, two Mercedes-AMG GT4s will be entered in the French Championship FFSAGT organized by SRO. The team based in Rabastens (Tarn) will want to play the leading roles in the Pro-Am class with four drivers combining experience and youth.

On the German car stamped with the number 87, Jean-Luc Beaubelique will share the poster with Jim Pla. The 54-year-old gentleman driver, runner-up in the Blancpain GT Series Sprint Cup and Endurance Cup en classe Pro-Am en 2016, est un habitué de l’équipe tricolore. Quant à Jim Pla, il connaît déjà le FFSA GT pour y avoir participé sur une Porsche Cayman en 2017 avec l’équipe Racing Technology (6e).

On the sister car, number 88, Benjamin Ricci will act like a big brother. At 25 years old, the Lyonnais has already participated in various GT4 European and GT Open events and will be the oldest driver of this Mercedes-AMG. He will give way half the time to the steering wheel Thomas Drouet. The Gersois, a former student of the French Formula 4 Championship in 2017 (a success in Pau) will be one of the youngest competitors in the championship (19 years old).

The arrival of Thomas Drouet in Team AKKA-ASP is a great story as Jérôme Policand, the founder and boss of the Tarn structure, explains: “He lives not far from Nogaro and I knew him when he was 7 or 8 years old and he was driving karting. He came to see me to take photos. I felt he was really passionate and I saw all the effort he put in (with his father) to be able to ride. I gave him a little help and today he is sitting in one of our cars…”

“I am very happy that our team can return to the national championship. Even if we are continuing the European program with the Blancpain GT Series, this commitment makes sense. The GT4s allow the crews to be showcased and the drivers fight until the checkered flag. We will have two great duos who should be able to do well.” The entry of a third car remains under study before the start of the season at Nogaro (Gers) for the traditional Easter Cups, between March 31 and April 2.