Neate forced to miss series finale

Team Statement:

After what has been an enormous effort this season to build the IP Tech NGTC Chevrolet Cruze, team owner and driver Andy Neate will be forced to watch the finale of the team's first season from the side lines having contracted pneumonia.

There are some ailments that are simply uncomfortable to drive with and some that no dosing up on medicine can help - pneumonia being one. The pressure exerted on a driver's chest by the harness to ensure his safety is considerable and any breathing condition is severely exacerbated by this. It is on strict instructions from his doctor that Andy has taken the heart breaking decision to sit this last round at Brands Hatch out. Replacing Andy in the car at this late stage has not been possible and with a full winter development programme beginning on Monday 14th October, Andy's thoughts must now turn to the future.

Writing from his Buckinghamshire home where he is resting Andy said:

"It's been an incredibly hard year and I've made no secret of that. As a team we've been through a lot of disappointment, faced some huge technical and financial challenges and we have come out the other side together. Our sponsors have shown a rare loyalty in this business and I can only thank them for that and make a public apology that our season has ended without the shindig at Brands Hatch we hoped for.

The car has shown undeniable promise with its competitiveness and perhaps the biggest challenge, technical reliability. Without the on track dramas of recent weeks where I have been the unfortunate victim of other's accidents, I have no doubt we would have succeeded in our year one goal of consistent top ten finishes."

"We've been overwhelmed by fan support this year and will be bringing updates throughout the winter season as we embark on the building of new machinery and prepare for the new year"

IP Tech Race Engineering