The British GT Championship moved to Rockingham Motor Speedway for round three, the first two-hour race of the season. Sadly, this would later turn out to be the Championships last visit to the circuit for the foreseeable future after Rockingham was sold and the new owners wishing to cease racing operations there.

GT3

 

 

 

 

 

 

Qualifying was in wet but drying conditions and both sessions saw lap times lower as the circuit dried. In the Am session it was Flick Haigh (Optimum) and Jon Minshaw (Barwell) who disputed the fastest time. At the close it was Haigh who produced a stunning lap to set fastest time by a second in her Aston Martin. An early off for Lee Mowle in the ERC Mercedes AMG saw him fail to post a time meaning no matter what Yelmer Buurman achieved in the Pro session the pair would start last in GT3. That ten-minute Pro session looked set to see pole for Jonny Adam and Flick Haigh but an outstanding performance from Phil Keen would see him and Minshaw start from pole in their Lamborghini.

From the start it was Minshaw who lead, building up an early lead as Haigh gave chase challenged by Sam De Haan in the second Barwell Lamborghini. No sooner had De Haan taken second place than the safety car was out following Shaun Balfe making contact with the wall at turn 12 in his McLaren. At the re-start Minshaw held his position and began to rebuild his lead, now over team-mate De Haan. Behind Haigh went off at Tarzan allowing the rapid Graham Davidson in the Jetstream Aston Martin into third having started ninth. Davidson made further progress when he caught De Haan, passing for second place with a move up the inside at Deene. With Minshaw now ten seconds in the lead a second safety car period was called when David Pattison beached his GT4 Toleman McLaren. This time from the re-start though Minshaw held the lead Davidson was staying with him in second. With Minshaw unable to build a gap the lead was lost during the pit-stops as the Demon Tweeks Lamborghini had to serve a twenty-second success penalty having won at Oulton Park. By now Davidson had handed his car over to works Aston Martin driver Maxime Martin who retained the lead as Keen took over the Lamborghini re-joining 15 seconds behind. However, the race still had some twists, Martin’s lead was gone after two further safety car periods. Not only that but Martin was issued with a drive-through penalty following multiple track limit violations. That handed the lead not to Keen but the fast charging Buurman in the ERC Mercedes who was building on the good first stint from Mowle. The Lamborghini challenge was disappearing just as fast, De Haan’s car was retired with a clutch problem while Keen was handed a ten-second stop-go penalty for in infringement during their pit-stop. At the flag it was a maiden British GT win for ERC Sport and the Mercedes AMG GT3, behind all was not as it first appeared. Crossing the line in second was the TF Sport Aston Martin of Marco Sorensen and Derek Johnston, however, they were given a post-race 30 second penalty for contact with the Bentley of Rick Parfitt Jr. This moved the Bentley of Ian Loggie and Callum Macleod into second, Macleod having passed the Beechdean Aston Martin of Darren Turner on the final lap. Third place going to Turner and Andrew Howard. Taking the driver of the day award for his drive up from ninth at the start was Graham Davisdon while the Championship was now lead by Mowle and Buurman following an eventful race.

GT4

Qualifying in GT4 saw an all Toleman McLaren front row as the silver pairing of Charlie Fagg and Michael O’Brien took pole while team-mates Lewis Proctor and Jordan Albert would start second. Championship leaders Adam Balon and Ben Barnicoat started from third in their Track-Club McLaren.

It was Fagg in the #4 McLaren that took the lead while behind a fast starting Patrik Matthiesen was into second in the HHC Ginetta. The pair battled for the lead, the Ginetta challenging through the corners but losing out on the straight. The battle became a three-way affair as they were caught by Daniel McKay in the Equipe Verschuur McLaren. Just ahead of the pit-stops as the trio caught some GT3 backmarkers Matthiesen took his chance to grab the lead from Fagg who fell to third as McKay followed in Matthiesen’s wheel-tracks. At the 60-minute mark the pit-stop window opened and both McLarens were in, HHC used the same tactic as last season and left Matthiesen out on track longer. This enabled HHC to pit Matthiesen later, handing the Ginetta over to Callum Pointon and re-join in the lead with O’Brien now second in the #4 Toleman McLaren. As Pointon extended his lead O’Brian began to slip back loosing second to a fast charging Jesse Anttila in the UltraTek Nissan who had gained places during the pit-stops and also benefiting from a stop-go penalty for Barnicoat in the Track-Club McLaren. With Pointon now in a lead he wasn’t too loose attention now focused on the third place battle. A four-way battle in the closing stages went to Matt Nicoll-Jones in the Academy Aston Martin who had thought back up from seventh after the pit-stops.

Sunoco fastest driver of the weekend trophies went to Marco Sorensen (TF Sport Aston Martin) in GT3 and Patrik Matthiesen (HHC Ginetta) in GT4 who both set new lap records in their respective classes. Also in GT4 Team HARD with Trade Price Cars were awarded PMW World Expo team of the weekend having re-built their #88 Ginetta that was heavily damaged between practice and qualifying on Saturday. The team also persevered with problems through the race.

GT3 Album – https://www.facebook.com/pg/Snap-magcom-2061747147426100/photos/?tab=album&album_id=2166067733660707

GT4 Album – https://www.facebook.com/pg/Snap-magcom-2061747147426100/photos/?tab=album&album_id=2166080473659433

Support races – https://www.facebook.com/pg/Snap-magcom-2061747147426100/photos/?tab=album&album_id=2168080686792745

 

 

 

Gary Malkin