After six months of highly competitive racing around the best of British race tracks plus their annual excursion abroad, the 2018 British GT Championship finally came to a conclusion on Sunday with Aston Martin Racing customer team's and drivers standing tall having claimed four Championship titles at an unsurprisingly eventful 'Donington Decider'.

Optimum Motorsport's Flick Haigh and Jonny Adam completed what they needed to do to secure their place in the Championship's history books with a fourth place finish at the end of the final round's two hour race - enough to win them the overall Championship despite the best efforts of the Barwell and TF Sport rivals who both finished in front of them.


That result also earned Haigh the honour of being the first woman driver to win the overall championship as well as the her previous accolades of being first woman driver to qualify on pole in her own right followed by being the first woman to win the GT3 class race - all achievements that she earned first time out at Oulton Park back in early April and despite treacherous track conditions.


Aston Martin Racing placed co-driver Jonny Adam also earned himself a further entry into his on- going chapter of the Championship by winning his third GT3 crown.


Team Boss Shaun Goff was beyond words as he tried to convey his utmost admiration and respect for his new race pairing that had started on such 'shaky ground' as Haigh nervously first tested her new Vantage GT3 with Adam at a cold and damp Snetterton back in January through to the guts and determination of a driver who was no longer afraid to 'mix it' with more seasoned racers at even the all deciding final round at the weekend! That is not only great credit to the character of the pupil who was willing to learn and develop but also absolute credit to the tutor who has now coached some three amateur drivers to the same prize.


By virtue of Sunday's results Haigh and Adam also claim the 2018 Pro-Am Championship and Haigh the Blancpain Trophy each time just ahead of Barwell's Jon Minshaw and Phil Keen who, for a third time narrowly miss out on the big prize!


The only GT3 Championship that either Haigh, Adam and Optimum didn't win was the GT3 Team Championship as that award went to fellow AMR Customer team, TF Sport who themselves finished just nine points ahead of the Barwell team thanks to a stellar drive from the #11 car of Mark Farmer and Nicki Thiim to finish P2 at Donington after a time penalty had been applied for track limits - they had actually crossed the line first!


With TF Sport, Sunday's race was also the end of an era as Derek Johnston hung up his race suit for the (query) final time however sadly with a bitter taste after having been hit from behind with some force by the #1 Team Parker Racing Bentley sustaining terminal damage to the cars gearbox and forcing a much premature end to his tenure in the British GT paddock. Also as a result of that we didn't get to see Marco Sorensen perform his swan song stint in the car either!


When we (and we know others noticed too) shook Johnston's hand and thanked him for the time, efforts and service to the sport, we saw a slight welling up in his eye's with a ' I only raced a car' as he made a polite exit to the throng that was his family and friends in the TF garage. Somehow - we don't think that it will be too long before he is back in a car somewhere - maybe a selective round return to the Championship maybe but anyway, Johnston will take his car home with him as a keep sake to his AMR/BGT adventures that after all landed him the GT3 Championship title back in 2016.


Both Optimum and TF Sport have already been confirmed as the earlier precipitants of two examples each of the new GT3 and GT4 platforms apiece that we hope the teams will reveal details of in good time.

The final Championship winning performance from the weekend came from someone not directly competing within an AMR car but someone who is very much 'up and coming' with the factory team as Jack Mitchell secured a solo Championship win in his Century Motorsport BMW M4.


Formally with MacMillan AMR, Mitchell is also presently leading the China GT GT4 Championship in the #618 China Equity AMR entry that he did share with Ryan Liu as that series enters its final two events of the season with a street circuit format coming next up in just two weeks time.


For the rest of the Aston Martin Racing customer team contingent, Donington proved to be just as bruising and 'character building' as any previous round of the championship if you believe that rubbing is racing!


Jetstream Motorsport found that the only way past the 'blocking' Barwell Lamborghini was the hard way with a last minute and very elbows out move on the #69 car at the Melbourne hairpin before slipping off the circuit on someone else's oil at turn 1 before returning to the track under the Safety Car for some more panel bashing from others. Drivers Graham Davidson and Maxime Martin would finish the race P11 and the championship in P7 so for their somewhat last minute confirmation into the Championship having never driven the car or having even met each other - that is some achievement that they should all be proud of. They did win the Spa round after all!


For Beechdean AMR, their earlier good start to their return to the domestic GT scene had been hampered by some mid season misfortune so were hoping to round the year off on a high. As a result of Darren Turner's off track excursion during Qualifying, the #99 car that he shares with team boss Andrew Howard started lower down the starting grid than they had first hoped but they still found themselves as being one of the many stuck behind the intentionally slowly Lamborghini.

Despite some very competitive wheel to wheel racing in the opening stages, contact with the Nissan spun both cars around loosing them both a substantial amount of time before both were able to return to the track. After the pitstop it was the turn of Turner to come to the attention of the race officials for track limits earning himself a drive through penalty although he was later able to redeem himself with a multiple overtake to claim the cars finishing position of P5 - the position they also finished in the Championship. We await for news of a 2019 campaign.


The biggest heartache sadly befell the Academy Motorsport crew again and their two V8 Vantage GT4 entries of Will Moore/Matt Nichol-Jones and Jan Jonck/Tom Wood. Having started side by side on the grid and having earlier 'hijacked' the display of the new AMR Vantage GT4, Donington would again be cruel to the them all.

With the shenanigans of the opening lap, the #61 Moore car became embroiled in early contacts within the GT4 field that would leave several cars damaged dropping him down the order whilst local boy Tom Wood would benefit from that to find himself running up to third in class by the time of the Safety Car that was later called for the oil at turn 1. Just before the restart however, the #62 Wood car would suffer a puncture, albeit very close to the pit lane but enough to drop them out of contention.


That bad luck was quickly followed by disaster for the team as the #61 disappeared from the timing screen after apparently suffering engine failure going downteh Craner Curves marking the disappointing end of the season to Moore's/Nichol-Jones' intermittent season. For the other car, Donington would typify their own season of bad luck and misfortune (mostly not of their own making it has to be said) to finish down in P25 - some three laps down to the winning GT4.


All in all 2018 has been a year that Aston Martin Racing could easily showcase as the inaugeral year for their V12 Vantage GT3, claiming multiple podium finsihes throughout the year both in GT3 and GT4. Some teams have already confirmed their acquirement of the new turbo charged car with many more waiting to do similar.

With many national and European seasons now at an end we will have to await the timely announcements of such new race programmes as and when the teams see fit!

Photo credits - Jacob Ebrey / AMR / ChinaGT

Eight exciting races later and we have again reached a 'winner takes all' conclusion to the 2018 British GT Championship as Sundays two hour race will again determine both the GT3 and GT4 overall winners in what's now aptly become known as the #DoningtonDecider!


Earlier this month we saw what may just be a significant decision in deciding the final outcome of the GT3 Championship with the overturning an earlier race steward time penalty imposed upon the Optimum Motorsport car after race 1 from Snetterton back in May that reinstated the full race points initially claimed to the #75 V12 Vantage GT3 crew of Flick Haigh and Jonny Adam at the chequered flag. As a result of that decision, Adam and Haigh now enter Sunday's two hour finale with a 27.5 points over long time championship leaders Jon Minshaw & Phil Keen with their Barwell Lamborghini and by a further point ahead of TF Sport's Mark Farmer and Nicki Thiim.


Only these three crews are in contention for the overall GT3 crown but with just 37.5 points on offer the latter two crews chances will be subject to the finishing positions of others. However, it is important to remember that recent Championship history has indeed proven that stranger things can and indeed do sometimes happen so all is not yet concluded!


Then late last week came the shock news that TF Sport's Derek Johnston will be making his 'home' event his last as the former British GT GT3 Champion will be hanging up his race helmet to competitive motorsport at least come the close of play Sunday afternoon. Never a stranger to wearing his heartstrings upon his sleeve we can be sure that the atmosphere will be somewhat emotional whatever the outcome for him and the team in their final race of the year in the Championship.

To Derek - its been great watching you race in the national GT series,  more so obviously when you came over to TF Sport in only their second year aboard one of their Vantage GT3's with Matt Bell. It was then a real privilege to see you lift the GT3 Championship at Donington just a year later with Jonny and we thank you for both your involvement and your time. Have a great finale and hopefully you and Marco will stick in on the podium for an AMR 1-2-3.


Rounding out the GT3 side of things, the #17 TF Sport car of Johnston/Sorensen will be having their own inter AMR battle as just over twenty points separate them from the Andrew Howard/Darren Turner Beechdean AMR car and the Jetstream Vantage of Graham Davidson and Maxime Martin as they all look to pass the ERC Mercedes team for fourth overall in class.



In GT4, Academy Motorsport will see out their season with just the remotest of championship possibilities for team boss Matt Nichol-Jones/Will Moore laying in fifth but that would involve the top four GT4 Championship cars ahead of them not finishing. The young gun line up of Jan Jonck/Tom Wood in the teams second V8 Vantage have endured something of a 'nightmare' of a season with technical issues too regularly taking the car out of competitive running positions.


Donington will also probably be the final time that we see the current iteration of V12 GT3 and V8 Vantage GT4 race their way around the national circuits as most (if not all) the main British GT teams are understood to have committed to buying the new turbo charged version of the Vantage GT3 and GT4 once both platforms have completed their development testing and homologation over the winter.

Thats sad in some respect but at least there is plenty to look forward to in 2019!


We will also keep an eye of for Jack Mitchell who presently stands at the top of the GT4 Drivers Championship table. Although racing this year in a BMW M4, he does of course make up a winning half to a China Equity AMR racing line up over in the China GT Championship this year!

Timetable for the weekend's event

Saturday 22 September
09:40 – 10:40: Free Practice 1
12:00 – 13:00: Free Practice 2
15:55 – 16:05: Qualifying – GT3 Am
16:09 – 16:19: Qualifying – GT3 Pro
16:23 – 16:33: Qualifying – GT4 Am
16:38 – 16:48: Qualifying – GT4 Pro

Sunday 23 September
09:35 – 09:45: Warm-up
12:30 – 13:00: Pitwalk and driver autograph session
13:35 – 15:35: Race

Having now made his through a very trying inaugural British GT Championship season, Academy Motorsport racer Tom Wood is offering space aboard his Aston Martin Racing V8 Vantage GT4 for any message that you may have for him at his local event.

For a measly one hundred of your pre Brexit pounds sterling (and if you get in touch with Tom over the next few days) you could see your personal message race around the Donington Park circuit next weekend as he and co driver Jan Jonck look to see off the first season together in style.


Depending upon how the development and homologation of AMR's new Vantage GT4 platform goes over the next few months, this final round of the British GT should also see out the racing service of the older generation car that Academy have solely entered this season before teams look to secure examples of the new car in readiness for 2019.

Tom can be contacted via any of his social media profiles

Photo credits - Jacob Ebrey

By the looks of it, it will be another damp start for the teams and drivers as the second round of the British GT Championship kicks off from Rockingham circuit tomorrow.

For many, it will be a case of still trying to dry out from the monsoon like conditions that befell the opening round of the Championship from Oulton Park at the start of April and to try to comprehend what actually happened during the opening event.


For the new Optimum Motorsport crew of Flick Haigh and Jonny Adam, the first race from Oulton Park was a dream come true providing them with a day of many firsts as Haigh scooped the accolades for being the first woman to achieve outright pole, outright win and in securing the Blancpain drivers award and with Adam also extending his own winning streak record within the Championship.

Close behind them on the podium for Race 1 were the returning Beechdean AMR crew of Andrew Howard with championship 'newbie' Darren Turner who earned themselves a very commendable and just deserved second in some extremely difficult track conditions in their first event back in the Championship for over a year.


For former GT3 Champions TF Sport, Race 1 was a race of 'what could have been' as early spins for their respective gentlemen drivers Mark Farmer and Derek Johnston always left them on the back foot, wasting good qualifying positions and leaving their AMR factory drivers Nicki Thiim and Marco Sorensen much to do to wrestle their cars anywhere to recover from their earlier mistakes to finish in the lonely midfield.


Series newcomers Jetstream Motorsport, it was always a case of Oulton Park being a steep learning curve for Graham Davidson and his Pro driver, AMR factory driver Maxime Martin having previously had little time together or in the car itself.

Rounding off the AMR entries were of course the two Academy Motorsport V8 Vantage GT4 cars of Matt Nichol-Jones pairing up again with Will Moore as well as Jan Jonck swapping from MacMillan to join former Ginetta Junior driver Tom Wood.


For that team Oulton Park was a very injurious round for their two cars with Jonck badly damaging his GT4 during Free Practice, Will Moore being forced off and heavily into the tyre wall on the opening lap as well as Wood then having a very close call with the barrier for little/no reward in what is now a highly competitive class.

Then, and on top of all of that we had the post race 'controversy' of the abandoned Race 2 being declared a result after just four laps behind the Safety Car - a decision (although correct) sadly relegated the #75 Optimum car from the top of the table to P5 having spun off on the grid formation lap and not being classified at the point of that race being red flagged.


Certainly, TF Sport will be looking to come back from the disappointments of Oulton Park in a very dramatic fashion with a circuit being very suited to the driving characteristics of the V12 Vantage - remember how Jack Mitchell and James Littlejohn dominated last years two hour race before being pipped at the post by the chasing pack! The teams double podium from the abandoned race will only  penalise their two cars by now having to serve an extended minimum pit stop during Sundays race.

Optimum will be looking to prove that Race 1 last time also wasn't a fluke, certainly Haigh more than proved her worth driving in the wet around the twists and turns of Oulton so the more open layout of Rockingham should be easier whilst Jetstream will seek to benefit from their increased track time together in their new car to look for a stronger finish.


The weather for tomorrow's Free Practice and Qualifying sessions looks like heavy showers will periodically affect track proceedings through the day whereas Sunday features a Met Office Yellow weather warning for rain! Whilst the circuits infield sections are quite spacious, the main concern will surely be 'loosing' the car on the tracks fast, swapping banked sections either side of the start/finish line where any loss of control would result in serious damage to their machinery from the unforgiving wall.

Sunday's two hour race starts at 13:10 and will again be streamed live from the Championship's Youtube channels

Photo credits - Jacob Ebrey

Good times in GT4 racing are obviously here as the Worcester based Academy Motorsport double their entries in both the British GT and GT4 European Championships for the 2018 campaign.

With final detail of their British GT entries finally confirmed at Donington Park yesterday, the team will field a car for new young guns Jan Jonck and Tom Wood whilst team boss Matt Nichol-Jones will again share a car alongside team returnee Will Moore.


Missing both series Media Day test day's yesterday by virtue of being at the Aston Martin Racing collective test from a rather soggy Portimao circuit in Portugal, the team have also been confirmed tonight as having two entries in the parallel SRO European GT4 Series with an (as yet) un-named driver line up.

The team have also purchased one of the Street Art Racing V8 Vantage GT4's over the winter months which they presently have with them down in Portugal for testing alongside a third car.

Street Art Racing meanwhile were at the series rain soaked test at Zolder yesterday and have a single car entry now confirmed for the European series having run a car in each of the (as then) Northern and Southern Cups. The 2018 GT4 European series will field a capacity grid of 47 cars.

Great news for the Aston Martin Racing and British GT fan this evening as Worcester based Academy Motorsport confirmed an extended two car programme for the forthcoming British GT championship.

With full details still to be fully confirmed, we understand that team boss Matt Nichol-Jones will return to the British GT Championship with an (as yet) unconfirmed co driver whilst the teams second car will feature two 'young guns', one looking to consolidate and improve the skills gained from last year and the other making that tentative step up in to the GT class.


“Jan [Jonck] is completely at home in the Aston, as anyone who saw his amazing performance at Brands Hatch last season will testify. Had his previous team not missed the final round there’s a very good chance he would have finished third in the GT4 standings, which would have been very impressive given it was also his first season of GT racing. He’s the perfect driver to have alongside Tom [Wood] who already knows the circuits and also demonstrated what he’s all about throughout 2017 in Ginetta Juniors” said Nichol-Jones.

Contrary to all the recent good news coming out of #TeamAMR with all these new cars, teams and driver line ups, it is with much regret that we learn of another fan favourite team pulling down the shutters (for the time being at least) on any return to competitive motorsport in 2018.

MacMillan Racing first appeared on the British GT scene back in 2016 with a single Generation AMR prepared Aston Martin Racing V8 Vantage GT4 for young guns Jack Mitchell and Matty Graham before stepping up another gear in 2017 with a Prodrive supported GT4 and GT3 entry.


Last season saw Mitchell step up from the team's GT4 to win the GT3 Silver Cup with co driver James Littlejohn despite having to sit out the final round at Donington in September and it was hoped that 2018 would be yet another year of improvement for the team.

We understand that the team's two cars and equipment has all been 'mothballed' whilst other ‘options’ are considered but it is unlikely that we will see them race next year.

Photo credit - MacMillan Racing

With the past six months having seemingly passed in a flash, last weekend saw the final round of the 2017 British GT Championship play itself out from Donington Park.

Sadly with no Aston Martin Racing team in the mix for any of the then undecided GT3 and GT4 championships all that was at stake was personally pride and to finish the job that many started way back at the turn of the year in a fitting and glorious style.

Things didn't exactly get off to a great start however with the last minute withdrawal of both MacMillan Racing GT3 and GT4 cars due to unforeseen circumstances leaving just TF Sport an Academy Motorsport to fill the voids in both classes.


Very mindful of the championship stakes for those immediately around them, both GT3 cars from TF Sport went out to dominate proceedings in both Free Practice and then Qualifying to claim the front two places for Sundays two hour race. Not to be out done, the #62 car of Matt Nichol-Jones and Will Moore also snatched the GT4 pole to make things a clean sweep for the marque.

Life in the old Vantage yet!!


With the Am Drivers starting the race, the biggest risk was for both cars to take each other out at the first corner and despite a little 'rubbing' going in all thankfully materialised out the other side Redgate to race another lap. Interrupting the TF Sport proceedings was the championship contesting Barwell Lamborghini of Jon Minshaw who split the AMR symmetry for a brief while before the pressure of the event caused him to spin out at the Fogarty Esses restoring the status quo.

That allowed Mark Farmer to doggedly defend his overall lead from team mate Derek Johnston in his new red liveried car for the entire length of their one hour minimum drive time with some great car craft  being on display from both.


Unfortunately for Will Moore, the reoccurrence of an old intermittent electrical issue abroad his V8 Vantage GT4 was causing him to periodically loose power, dropping positions all the time until an unfortunate Ginetta GT4 behind collided heavily with the rare of the #62 after one such event ending his own race and GT4 championship aspirations on the spot but at least the #62 was able to continue.

Just fifteen minutes later and only thirty minutes into the race what would later turn out to be a catastrophic failure of the cars gearbox casing saw the sveltely liveried #62 to come to a premature end after a brief oil fire on the side of the track - it was over and out for them.

Meanwhile, the two TF Sport cars were still racing hammer and tongs with the race decisive move coming as Farmer elected to pit on his hour mark leaving Johnston a clear track on which to do his own in lap unhindered. A ten second success penalty then applied against the #11 car pitstop after their result at the previous round at Brands Hatch allowed Jonny Adam to exist the pit lane now in the #1 car a pit lane length just ahead of the #11 car with Jon Barnes now at the wheel.


With racing of the highest calibre for the next hour that would be how the race would ultimate finish with a fine 1-2 for the Tom Ferrier led team - just six races too late to make anything of it!

Speaking with both Mark Farmer and Derek Johnston afterwards, both confirmed that with 'all planets aligning and everything else remaining equal' it would be their desire to return to the British GT Championship with the TF Sport team if at all possible. The only doubt seemed to be regarding whether or not AMR factory driver Jonny Adam would again be available to mentor Johnston.


With Johnston assuring us that despite his recent LMP3 test at Donington the other week he had absolutely no desire to follow the prototype formula as his body was too old for them and he had been spoiled by the AMR Vantage GT3 which has again proven itself to remain as a race winner despite its age.

And for Farmer - its like Jon Barnes said on the starting grid - "he's had unbelievable performance this weekend but there's always room for improvement!"


Hopefully see you next year guys!

Photo credit - Jacob Ebrey (podium shot)

The British GT Championship have this afternoon confirmed that MacMillan Racing have indeed withdrawn both of their cars from the two hour finale to the 2017 championship at Donington this weekend.

Previously fielding a very successful brace of a V12 Vantage GT3 and a V8 Vantage GT4, the final round at Donington would have sealed yet another successful season for the team in only its second year of racing with Jack Mitchel and James Littlejohn claiming the GT3 Silver Cup prize at their first time of asking amongst numerous podiums for both cars.


As yet we are not aware as the reasons behind this action.

On a small good news front however, is the confirmation that Will Philips shall still be racing at Donington, this time alongside ex. MacMillan racing driver Matthew Graham in one of the In2Racing McLaren 570s GT4's.

By the fact that Philips has had time to arrange such a deal signifies that the MacMillan withdrawal had been on the cards for some time before now.

Disappointing news indeed!

Photo credits - Jacob Ebrey