British GT season finale countdown

Saturday, September 12, 2015


The time for frivolity is well and truly over at Donington and the final - championship deciding round of the 2015 British GT Series.

Going into this meeting the GT3 Championship was still available to four of the top UK teams - two in Aston Martin V12 Vantages and two in BMW Z4's. The Ecurie Ecosse BMW of Alex Sims and Marco Attard lead the Beechdean duo of Andrew Howard and Jonny Adam by just two points whilst they have an eighteen point advantage over the Oman Racing's Vantage team of Rory Butcher and Liam Griffin. Triple Eight's Lee Mowle and Joe Osbourne have a mathematical chance still and simply nothing to loose trying to get their nose ahead.

Back in GT4 and although the drivers championship was confirmed to the #407 Beechdean car of Jamie Chadwick and Ross Gunn immediately after the Snetterton meeting a couple of weeks ago there are still plenty of honours to be fought for and won in this highly competitive sub championship.

It looks like Mother Nature has also been playing her part in the conclusion to the series growing some very autumnal weather at the Leicestershire circuit during Free Practice. Something like this during the race will really throw the 'cat amongst the pigeons'!!


During Free Practice 1 Andrew Howard was the 'man of the hour' securing a lap time some three seconds quicker than the second placed TF Sport Vantage of Jody Fannin and Andrew Jarman in an identical car. That was only due to a good call from the pit wall getting the #007 car onto slicks as the circuit began to dry out too much for wets towards the end of the session.

Free Practice 2 however it was roll reversal for the two championship protagonists with the Sims/Attard claiming the top honours. The biggest jump in performance came from 22GT Racings GT3 jumping from P10 in FP1 to P3 in FP3.

Obviously Free Practice times count for nothing as each team/car would be operating to their own hidden agenda readying the car and the team for the forthcoming qualification period and ultimately the race tomorrow.


With the normal process of the Am drivers qualifying separately from the Pro drivers it would be the TF Sport Vantage of Jody Fannin and Andrew Jarman who would repeat their Snetterton success and place the #27 on pole again for tomorrows race - another great achievement by this driver pairing. The #007 Vantage would be placed just behind in P2 with their main championship rivals just three places further back - recipe for an intriguing first few corners!!

In GT4 the #61 Scope liveried Academy Vantage of Will Moore and Dennis Strandberg would be pipped at the post for class pole by the Issy Racing Lotus with the Beechdean GT4 champions just behind them.


JWB's Jake Giddings and Kieran Griffin finally seem to be having some fortune qualifying their V8 Vantage GT4 P10 in class, just ahead of the #62 Academy car of Chris Webster and Dan Lloyd.


This just leaves the customary ten minute warm up tomorrow morning in readiness to the literal climax to what has been a fantastic season of highly competitive yet good spirited GT racing. 

The two hour race starts at 13.00Hrs local and is live on MotorsTV from 12.45.

Watch it or miss out!!

Photo credits - Jacob Ebrey/BGT


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