British sportscar ace Garry Findlay will be looking to end the 2013 season on a high after agreeing terms to contest the finale round of the VdeV Series with crack French outfit CD Sport.

Having made two earlier outings with British team G-Cat Racing, Findlay had been working towards an end-of-season appearance at either Magny-Cours or Estoril but, when circumstances worked against him, was advised to look elsewhere. Hearing that there may be an opening in CD’s four-car line-up, he was quick to contact the French squad, eventually securing a spot in the #4 entry just over a week before the series finale in Portugal.

“I’ve been chasing a budget all year, but had hoped to do any number of events since my last outing, at Paul Ricard, in July,” the 24-year old revealed, “Initially, I had been looking to do Magny-Cours with G-Cat but, for one reason and another, that became unworkable, so I looked around to see who else had a seat to fill.”

CD Sports has a strong track record in the VdeV, most recently capturing the 2012 Proto Endurance title, and currently leads the standings with its #1 car, giving Findlay cause for optimism.

“They’re a proven team and should be a podium contender,” he noted, “They have information for every circuit, having been in the series for some time, and, with four cars under the same awning, there should be a lot of data to share. At G-Cat, we had just the one entry and every race doubled as a chance to go testing, so we were always on the back foot.

“While I’ll be using the event to get to know the team and show them what I can do, I’ll also be looking to set out my stall for 2014, so a podium would be a nice way to make people sit up and take notice.”

While Estoril will be familiar to the team, both circuit and car will be new to the driver, although Findlay does not expect to take long to get to grips with either. The Norma chassis favoured by CD Sport is a proven weapon in the VdeV, having claimed the entire top ten in 2012 and, even though Findlay will be piloting a 2011 version against newer cars, he is confident that he can show well.

“It has been a case of learning all year,” he pointed out, “Each circuit has been new to me, as was the Wolf we ran at G-Cat. I’m sure I’ll get to grips with Estoril quickly enough – I’ll certainly be doing the usual preparation on YouTube – and the Norma is already a good car, so it’ll be a case of keeping it on the track in practice, trying to find the right balance and then turning it up in qualifying.”

The Estoril event runs over three days, with practice on Friday (15 November) and qualifying on Saturday, before the six-hour race gets underway early on Sunday morning, and Findlay will be looking to end his season on a positive note as he works towards next year.

“You can’t write anything off in such a long race, and it would be good for a little luck to go my way after a difficult couple of outings earlier in the year,” he said, “However, while the aim of the weekend is to boost my chances of getting a drive for 2014, the main thing will be to have a little fun - and try to get the best result possible!”