Pro-Am win & P2 overall at Donington
Qualifying:
A dry qualifying session meant the ultimate pace of the car would be tough to overcome the competition, with the Balance of Performance (BOP) almost identical again for another round. However, with combined times for the pairings, an opportunity to be nearer the front of the grid was achievable. Warren (1:34.257) and Orton (1:33.953) secured a strong starting position with P2 in their class and P9 overall, behind seven Silver-Silver starters. Porter (1:34.066) and Day (1:33.699) qualified P4 in the Silver-Silver class and P5 overall. The combined times for the top nine cars were covered by only one second, with the Ginetta G56 Evo #56 on pole with 3:07.219 and Forsetti’s #47 at 3:08.210. A total of six manufacturers in the top 10 meant an exciting race was in store.
Race:
The race day was marked by unpredictable weather. With warm and dry conditions at the start, slick tyres were fitted. However, as the countdown to the start procedure began, spots of rain appeared before the heavens opened ahead of the formation lap. Heavy rain during the formation lap led Race Control to abort the start, allowing all cars to switch to wet tyres on a very chaotic grid. Day (nominated) started in the #7 car, and Warren (mandatory) started in the #47 car as per regulations.
After a 10-minute wait for teams to switch tyres, the race officially began behind the Safety Car, which stayed out for two laps. As the weather cleared and the track dried, Day and Warren pitted and swapped drivers, handing over to Porter and Orton. However, soon after the first stops, the unpredictable weather turned again, forcing Porter to make a last-minute call from the cockpit to box back into the pits to switch tyres, catching the crew and engineers off guard and causing confusion about the stop and the minimum pitstop time (mandatory or tyres only). Orton held firm for another two laps before grip levels became unmanageable, and he also opted for wet tyres, handing back to Warren.
When the pitstops had cycled through, Day was able to capitalise on being the first car to switch to wet tyres. The #7 car was P2 in class, and the #47 car was P3 in the Pro-Am class. However, worsening conditions meant more cars were caught out, and many ended up in the gravel trap at T1, causing retirements and a long Full Course Yellow (FCY) before the Safety Car entered the track.
With the Safety Car deployed due to worsening weather conditions, the situation eventually led to a red flag because the track was unsafe and repairs to barriers were required. After a 50-minute delay, the race resumed. As the race restarted, it was confirmed that the #7 car had to serve a stop-go penalty due to a previous short stop. This meant a tough remainder of the race, with strategy calls relying on the hope that gambling on the remaining two hours would bring the car back into contention. The #47 car had to manage a full hour stint without another stop due to their single remaining mandatory pitstop, so it was important to focus on tyre management and strong average lap times, which Warren duly delivered.
At the halfway mark, another long FCY followed by a Safety Car occurred, followed by another 10 minutes later due to unpredictable track conditions and cars throughout the field struggling with grip levels. Warren advanced to P3 overall in GT4 and P3 in class, with Day in P5 in class and P8 overall. Day pitted with 1:15hr remaining for slicks as the track dried, returning to P6 in class and P12 overall, meaning a long stint with fuel saving and hoping for the rest of the GT4 field to serve their final pitstop under green flag conditions. Warren held out for two more laps on the wet tyre before excellently timing the call for slick tyres and passing to Orton just as the FCY came out, effectively promoting the #47 car to P1 overall and P1 in class, cycling out in front ahead of the Optimum McLaren, which had served a longer Silver-Silver stop (12 seconds) and the maximum Silverstone success penalty (20 seconds).
With 45 minutes to go, another FCY and Safety Car were deployed. When the race resumed, Orton was P1 in class and overall GT4, but now the gap to the chasing pack was diminished, and holding off the faster Optimum McLaren was going to be hard in the dry conditions. Porter was now circulating quickly, holding P5 in class and P8 overall.
Orton faced a tough battle with Brown for the overall lead, exchanging positions while the GT3 cars also played their part by affecting lap times and car placement as they came through. Orton eventually dropped to P2 overall but maintained P1 in the Pro-Am class, with a significant gap to P3.
The race concluded with car #47 taking the Pro-Am win and P2 overall in GT4. Car #7 finished P5 in the Silver-Silver class and P7 overall in GT4. Good points for the #47 car, while the #7 car picked up points to add to their tally with a further five rounds left, of which three are 2-hour races, meaning points and a half are up for grabs again.
It was another positive weekend for the team, solidifying our lead in the team championships with an additional 36 points, only being outscored by Optimum's 37.5 points for the overall win. With a total now of 148 points, we maintain a respectable 42-point lead over Optimum Motorsport. In the Drivers' Championship, Porter and Day sit in P2 overall and in the Silver-Silver class, followed by Warren and Orton in P3 overall, and importantly taking the overall lead in the Pro-Am championship battle.
As we approach the halfway point of the season, the racing resumes next time out at the iconic Spa Francorchamps circuit on June 21-23, which promises to be an incredible event as part of the SRO Speedweek with FFSA GT – GT4 France in attendance, followed by the European GT4 event and the Fanatac 24hr race the following week.
Before that, Forsetti has the next round of GT Cup at our home race in Snetterton. Be sure to follow our media channels for the latest team updates as we look to continue our strong start in that campaign!
