LUHR AND KRUMM THRILLED TO WIN THE RAC TOURIST TROPHY

News from the Royal Automobile Club

JRM Nissan drivers Lucas Luhr and Michael Krumm scored a sensational victory in the Tourist Trophy race at Silverstone on Sunday (5 June, 2011). Less than half a second separated the top three cars at the finish, the first feature race to be based in the new iconic Silverstone Wing.

The Tourist Trophy is awarded each year by the Royal Automobile Club to the winners of one of the most exciting events in the motor racing calendar. First presented in 1905, it is the longest standing award in motor sport.

In one of the most nail-biting races in the history of the trophy, Lucas Luhr and Michael Krumm claimed the win for JRM Nissan just ahead of Tomas Enge and Alex Müller (Aston Martin) and Mike Hezemans and Andreas Zuber (Exim Bank Team, China Corvette). The race was the fifth round of the FIA GT1 World Championship.

This is the second year running that Nissan has claimed the trophy but it’s the first for Luhr and Krumm. “I think it’s amazing, said Krumm, “we are both very proud to be on the list with such famous and historic names. I felt very jealous last year when Jamie Campbell-Walter won it, so we are very proud to win it this year. It has a great meaning and this is one of the most important victories of my career.”

The FIA GT1 World Championship is the world’s premier GT race series, fought out by cars from manufacturers such as Aston Martin, Corvette, Ford, Lamborghini and Nissan. The 2010 winners were Warren Hughes and Jamie Campbell-Walter – also driving a Nissan GT-R.

Presenting the award to the drivers, Ben Cussons, Chairman of the Royal Automobile Club Motoring Committee, said: "I am delighted to award the historic Tourist Trophy to such worthy winners. They fought so hard throughout the race to take the chequered flag."

Later in the year, Lucas Luhr and Michael Krumm will be welcomed to the Royal Automobile Club's clubhouse in Pall Mall, London, for the traditional victors' lunch.