Change of car within Academy for Spa British GT
Wednesday, July 17, 2019
Matt Nichol-Jones' Academy Motorsport team have now confirmed that following Fiona James' start line accident in the second race of the GT4 European Series at Zandvoort last weekend, they will be unable to field their #61 Aston Martin Racing V8 Vantage GT4 for the British GT round from Spa Francorchamps this weekend.
James was caught up in the aftermath of a totally unnecessary incident caused by the stupid action of a single driver swerving his Mercedes GT4 from one side of the grid to the other as the 30 plus grid hit the green light to start Sundays second race of the penultimate round of the European Series.
Fortunately she and the other five drivers were otherwise uninjured in the incident although her silver silver and yellow Walero livered Vantage GT4 had the drivers side front wheel ripped from its mounts as the car was pushed into the armco barrier as the carnage coming back across track.
This news obviously left the team's British GT drivers Micah Stanley and Ben Hurst without a car for the forthcoming British GT round from Spa Francorchamps. Happily, the ever resourceful Nichol-Jones has 'found' them a new car (albeit a McLaren 570s GT4) for the duo to race this weekend.
It would have been pitiful had these two young guns had missed out on the Spa experience through no fault of their own having already endured a rotten transition into GT racing for much the same reason. These events may even change their luck in Belgium!!
Photo credit - GT4 European Series / Academy