Another stunning round of the British GT Championship sets up another #DoningtonDecider

Starting from the front row of the GT4 grid alongside the pole setting Audi, the #23 Aston Martin of Jamie Day was soon into the lead of the class coming out of Druids for the first time but the next time around, the #23 had slipped down to fifth on the second tour around the Grand Prix circuit.

After just fifteen minutes of running, a technical issue for the rebuilt #7 Motus One Mercedes AMG GT4 brought out the first of many Safety Car interventions with Matt Topham keeping up with the silver ranked drivers around him in P9 in class but first in their Pro-Am class. 

Luckily for the two AMR runners, that intervention wiped out the #42’s five second advantage at the time but Richard Williams was still able to restore that time deficit upon the restart as Day was seemingly unable to pass those ahead as the race progressed through to its first half hour mark and another Safety Car intervention for a GT3 stuck in the gravel.

Back to green again and a puncture for the Ford GT took them finally out of contention within both the race and the overall Champiosnhip picture leaving it more likely to be just a three-car race to the final flag. As the Audi again exited stage left far ahead, the #65 Porsche would remain the cork in the GT4 battle – not allowing anybody past without a strong fight but also letting the Audi re-establish another significant lead on track.

That would be until the next Safety Car intervention for this time another GT4 stuck in the gravel after earlier contact with the Toyota GT Supra (immediately in front of Day’s #23 car) but something that allowed Day to capitalise upon by passing two cars in one corner!

Back to green again with little over an hour to go, the GT4 pit stop window finally opened and all bar Day’s Aston Martin and the following Assetto Racing Ginetta GT4 pitted for their compulsory stop – as well as the later GT3 cars to allow Day to lead the race outright but minus their stop with their additional twenty seconds of success penalty from Spa last time out.

Finally pitted just before his maximum drivetime with some fifty-three minutes remaining, Miller would come out in sixth with the shorter stopped Pro-Am GT4 of Darren Turner would come out literally on top in first overall plus a twenty second advantage of the chasing #42 Audi however, that time difference would be eaten into from the off by the Audi’s Sennan Fielding.

Entering the final thirty minutes, the gap was fifteen seconds and then only six to seven seconds as the race clock counted down. Eventually Miller would recatch the #65 Porsche and Team Brit McLaren ahead and pass the latter for position – up to fourth overall and now third in their Silver Cup as (luckily for Turner and Topham) the chequered flag finally flew to end this penultimate round.

Subject to official confirmation of course, the #27 Newbridge AMR Vantage GT4 of Matt Topham and Darren Turner would finish first overall in GT4 and first also in their Pro-Am class with the #42 Stellar Audi behind them in second. The #23 R-Racing Aston Martin of Josh Miller and Jamie Day would then come home in fourth overall and third in Silver to maintain their own overall Champiosnhip possibilities as the series now looks to its finale at Donington Park next month.

Today’s results leave the #27 crew now 12.5 points clear of the #42 crew, but both will have a success penalty to serve at Donington Park now whilst the #23 R-Racing Aston will now not although they both now stand 20.5 points behind the #27 crew but with 37.5 points still on offer!

It’s another #Doningtondecider !!

Photo credit - Jacob Ebrey (podium)