GT Cup podiums are the target for TF Sport at Rockingham
Wednesday, May 20, 2015
The GT Cup heads to Corby’s banked Rockingham Motor Speedway this weekend (23-24 May) and TF Sport will be hoping to continue its dominant form with the Paul Bailey and Andy Schulz driver pairing in its Aston Martin V12 Vantage GT3.
Making its Rockingham debut this weekend, Rounds 7, 8 and 9 of the GT Cup will be held on the circuit’s 1.94mile International Super Sportscar configuration, which combines long straights, sweeping high-speed bends including the infamous Turn 1, Gracelands and a lower speed, highly technical infield.
Emulating the same success from the season-opener at Donington Park last month, two further race wins and a podium finish formed another sensational GT Cup weekend for TF Sport last time out on the globally renowned Brands Hatch Grand Prix circuit.
Mired by light, localised rain showers, Bailey took his TF Sport-prepared V12 Vantage GT3 to a front row start during qualifying, before translating that into a victory when he and teammate Schulz once again dominated proceedings.
Bailey would then go onto secure back-to-back podiums in the following day’s two sprint races to head the Drivers’ standings, and, having secured a first top ten finish at Rockingham in the Avon Tyres British GT Championship last season, the Rutland racer is optimistic that he can continue the fight for podium finishes.
“To win the race this weekend will be very hard with our 30-second pit stop success penalty, but we are going to hit it head on,” said Bailey. “Andy (Schulz), Tom (Ferrier) and I all each received a letter from David Richards from Aston Martin Racing commending us on what a great job we are doing in the GT Cup, which was great – this season couldn’t have gone any better, to be honest. Tom and his TF Sport team have done a great job and I cannot fault them.
“It’s going to be a difficult weekend for us, as I’ve been advised that Rockingham is the weakest circuit on the calendar for the Aston Martin, but if we come away with a podium in the 50-minute race, I will be very happy. I’ve won there in the past and finished inside the top 10 in the British GT Championship last season, but the main aim is to finish all three races and score some more strong points.”
AllFloors Express Managing Director, Martin Johnston, has gone from strength-to-strength behind the wheel of the team’s Aston Martin V8 Vantage GT4, finishing all six races so far this season and bettering his lap times with each and every session.
Excited to take to Rockingham’s tight and twisty infield, Johnston is relishing the opportunity to show his talents, saying: “Some drivers are not a fan of Rockingham, but I love it. I like the constant change of direction the circuit offers and I feel very comfortable there. Work has been very busy lately, so I’ve not had any time to jump behind the wheel of the TF Sport Aston Martin, but the team has been great in accommodating me and giving me advice, so hopefully I can continue to improve this weekend.”
Emulating the same success from the season-opener at Donington Park last month, two further race wins and a podium finish formed another sensational GT Cup weekend for TF Sport last time out on the globally renowned Brands Hatch Grand Prix circuit.
Mired by light, localised rain showers, Bailey took his TF Sport-prepared V12 Vantage GT3 to a front row start during qualifying, before translating that into a victory when he and teammate Schulz once again dominated proceedings.
Bailey would then go onto secure back-to-back podiums in the following day’s two sprint races to head the Drivers’ standings, and, having secured a first top ten finish at Rockingham in the Avon Tyres British GT Championship last season, the Rutland racer is optimistic that he can continue the fight for podium finishes.
“To win the race this weekend will be very hard with our 30-second pit stop success penalty, but we are going to hit it head on,” said Bailey. “Andy (Schulz), Tom (Ferrier) and I all each received a letter from David Richards from Aston Martin Racing commending us on what a great job we are doing in the GT Cup, which was great – this season couldn’t have gone any better, to be honest. Tom and his TF Sport team have done a great job and I cannot fault them.
“It’s going to be a difficult weekend for us, as I’ve been advised that Rockingham is the weakest circuit on the calendar for the Aston Martin, but if we come away with a podium in the 50-minute race, I will be very happy. I’ve won there in the past and finished inside the top 10 in the British GT Championship last season, but the main aim is to finish all three races and score some more strong points.”
AllFloors Express Managing Director, Martin Johnston, has gone from strength-to-strength behind the wheel of the team’s Aston Martin V8 Vantage GT4, finishing all six races so far this season and bettering his lap times with each and every session.
Excited to take to Rockingham’s tight and twisty infield, Johnston is relishing the opportunity to show his talents, saying: “Some drivers are not a fan of Rockingham, but I love it. I like the constant change of direction the circuit offers and I feel very comfortable there. Work has been very busy lately, so I’ve not had any time to jump behind the wheel of the TF Sport Aston Martin, but the team has been great in accommodating me and giving me advice, so hopefully I can continue to improve this weekend.”
TF Sport Director, Tom Ferrier, said: "We are going into Rockingham looking to repeat the form that we have already shown so far this season. It's not the easiest of circuits for the cars, but we have data from the British GT outing earlier this month that we can carry forward, so it should be a very positive weekend once again."
Qualifying for the GT Cup’s 50-minute endurance race is scheduled to get underway at 12.10 on Saturday (23 May), with the race later that day at 17.05, preceding two sprint races on Sunday (24 May) at 11.40 and 16.00 respectively.
Qualifying for the GT Cup’s 50-minute endurance race is scheduled to get underway at 12.10 on Saturday (23 May), with the race later that day at 17.05, preceding two sprint races on Sunday (24 May) at 11.40 and 16.00 respectively.
Source material - TF Sport
Photo credit - GT Cup
