Bitter-sweet results for Forsetti AMR after another exciting British GT finale today
Sunday, September 29, 2024
Having enjoyed a brighter, warmer autumnal day yesterday for both Free Practice and Qualifying, race day was a much greyer affair with air temperatures struggling to break into double figures.
Taking the start ahead of this final round, both the #7 and #47 Forsetti AMR Vantage GT4 crews laid at the head of the respective Silver and Pro-Am class, as well as the Overall GT4 Drivers Championship which the team hoped to add to their already confirmed GT Team Championship win from earlier.
Taking the start from third overall (and in class) was Jamie Day whilst Marc Warren would be starting from slightly further back eighth overall in GT4 and third again in class.
The only problem for the #47 car was that their final race of the race wouldn’t extend to more than the opening lap as having already avoided a GT3 spinning off into the gravel outside Paddock Hill Bend, the clumping pack caught Warren off guard as he impacted into the rear of Mustang causing not just front wing damage but also terminal damage to the radiator.
It was their championship charge over in a flash unless the chasing #31 Mercedes and the #29 BMW crews failed to score – possible, but not really probable given there was still two hours fifty-eight minutes to run as the Safety Car came out for the first time.
Despite an overnight Balance of Performance adjustment with the title contending Aston Martin Vantage and the McLaren Altura GT4’s where the Aston lost 10kg of ballast and the McLaren gained it, it was still hard to tell that apart as the race finally went back to green with Day trying to fend off the #90 McLaren for the lead in GT4.
Race Control warning and penalties were already being issued as first Day got a warning about his driving standards in defending his race lead whilst the #29 BMW was given a Drive through penalty for contact which only helped the cause of the #47 Forsetti crew now consigned to watching the race from the pit lane.
Whilst it remained somewhat feisty at the head of GT4, Andrew Howard was quietly keeping out of trouble within his #97 AMR Vantage GT3 that he would be sharing with GT3 debutant Tom Wood later in the race. Having started P9 overall (and P2 in GT3 Silver-Am), the green AMR was holding off the silver-Am championship winning McLaren behind them OK.
Just after thirty minutes of race clock time, the #90 Optimum McLaren finally got passed the #7 Aston Martin of Day and immediately gapped them to the tune of a second or two. With little over ten minutes to go before the start of the staggered pit stop windows, a Full Course Yellow was called for another GT3 off into the tyre wall at Stirling’s. Initially looking not that bad, that caution period was then notified to all as being a lengthy period as the tyre wall and barriers would need attention and the race wouldn’t be released again until that and all the mandatory pit stops had been completed.
Losing nearly forty minutes to that damage, the race finally got back to green with just over forty minutes remaining but in between all of that, the leading #90 McLaren had managed to get out of pit land ahead of the overall GT3 leader meaning that with the Safety Car restart – they would get waved towards the rear of the GT4 pack and technically nearly a whole lap ahead of the #7 car.
Getting back to green and it was swiftly back under yellows again as three more (this time GT4 cars) exited the race together after contact at Stirling’s to bring out another length FCY and Safety Car restart. The best news from the AMR powered paddock was that Tom Wood was already making an impression aboard the #97 with both the fastest lap of the race so far and having elevated the #97 car up to seventh overall.
Getting back to green with just ten minutes remaining, there was absolutely nothing that Mikey Porter could do about his position within the race as the #90 was literally miles in front but at least he was defending their Silver Cup position at the head of the pile.
After another eventful race, the chequered flag finally dropped to give the Beechdean AMR crew of Howard and Wood a P6 overall finish and another visit to the GT3 Silver-Am podium in P2 whilst (more importantly) the #7 Forsetti Vantage GT4 of Day and Porter finished P2 overall within GT4 to claim the Silver Cup Drivers Championship but not the Overall GT Drivers Champiosnhip as that went to the #90 Optimum crew.
Overall, it wasn’t a bad season for the championship debuting Forsetti team as they added the Silver Cup Championship to their GT4 Teams title alongside P2 finishes within the GT4 Pro-Am class (for the #47), P2 and P4 finishes within the Overall GT4 Championship for both the #7 and #47 cars respectively.
It’s absolutely been another cracking British GT Championship season.
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