4 Races, 4 Wins and home race weekend
Round 3 of the GT Cup calendar was held at our home circuit, Snetterton. This weekend featured a slight reshuffle in the driver lineup for car #10, as Jodie was unable to attend, leading to British GT driver Marc Warren stepping in to partner with Rianna. The weather was not great but we carried out four 30 minute sessions to allow drivers to acclimatise to the track in challenging conditions.
Saturday:
Qualifying:
The weekend kicked off on a high note with Porter securing P1 with a time of 1:55:067 and O’Meara Hunt close behind in P2 with 1:55:456, only a 0.4-second gap behind Car 9. The biggest threat from qualifying appeared to be Paddock Motorsport’s McLaren with a time of 1:56.295.
R9 Sprint Race:
In the first race, a 25-minute sprint, Porter started in P1 (P7 overall) and O’Meara Hunt in P2 (P8 overall). The race went smoothly, culminating in our first 1-2 finish of the weekend, with Porter maintaining P1 (P6 overall) and O’Meara Hunt finishing in P2 (P7 overall). This strong start set a positive tone for the rest of the weekend. Porter in Car 9 brought home the fastest lap in class with a time of 1:56:039.
R10 Endurance Race:
The endurance race began well but took a challenging turn when Higgins experienced a puncture on the first lap due to contact with the GT3 pack, specifically the Team Parker Porsche and Topcats Racing’s Lamborghini, causing debris in the rear defuser resulting in a puncture. The decision taken to try and remain on the leading lap by only fitting a new tyre. Higgins rejoined in P5 in class (P13 overall) hoping for a safety car to catch up the back of the pack, whilst Warren, who had a clean getaway, comfortably held the lead in class (P6 overall). Unfortunately, Higgins was experiencing sub-optimal breaking efficiency with the lack of ABS. Due to no further incidents or opportunities to make ground on the pack ahead, the decision was taken to box and repair the ABS harness. The team’s quick and efficient work got the car back on track, and as the race continued to the mandatory pit stop time, both cars came in for their driver swaps. O’Meara Hunt brought the car home in P1 in class (P7 overall), with Porter climbing to P4 in class (P12 overall), securing another win for the team. Once again the fastest lap in class was awarded to Car 9 with a time of 1:56:328.
Sunday
Qualifying:
Sunday’s qualifying was a chance for the sporting drivers to set their respective laps, with clear skies and good track temperatures the car came alive resulting in another strong 1-2 finish. Warren grabbing P1 (1:54:951) followed closely behind with Higgins in P2 (1:55:506), setting the stage for a strong endurance race.
R11 Endurance Race:
The first endurance race of the day started with Warren and Higgins in P1 and P2, respectively. A Topcats Racing car spun off early, bringing out the safety car. Warren maintained P1 in class (P5 overall), and Higgins stayed in P2 in class (P6 overall). Due to Car 10’s results the previous day, the maximum success penalty time had been added to their pitstop time. This meant that the safety cars arrival, neutralising the race, created a disadvantage for the Car 10 pairing. The safety car came back in with 38 minutes of the race to go. After a double stacked pit stop, Porter rejoined in P2 in class (P7 overall) and O’Meara Hunt in P3 in class (P8 overall). Whilst Rianna chased down the Ginetta in P2 driven by Theobald, Porter fought his way back to P1. Rianna performed an impressive overtake into Agostini and claims the P2 spot from the Ginetta, securing another 1-2 finish for the team. Car 10 clocked the fastest lap this time with a time of 1:56.895.
R12 Final Sprint Race:
The final sprint race of the weekend, saw pro-sporting drivers, Warren and Higgins, starting on the front row again after the strong lap times in the previous endurance race. After a clean getaway Higgins stayed close behind Warren throughout the race, with both drivers trading quickest lap times and the gap between both drivers ebbing and flowing between 3 and 8 tenths per lap. Warren crossed the line finishing in P1 as the race concluded with Higgins close behind in P2. Higgins collected the fastest lap in class in Car 9 with a time of 1:57:417.
The weekend concluded with the team achieving four wins across all four races, including three 1-2 finishes, demonstrating driver pace and potential as well as the team delivering a stellar performance. We now lead the teams' championship with 464 points, 23 points ahead of Topcats Racing, and Car #9 is still leading the drivers' championship. Additionally, the team was awarded ‘Team of the Day’ for the strong results and exceptional handling of the puncture in Race 2.
Looking ahead, we are gearing up for Spa, for our British GT campaign from June 21st-23rd. Be sure to follow our social channels to stay updated!
