Silverstone 500 brings in further silverware

Going into the weekend with limited dry testing opportunities and variable mixed weather conditions ahead, the feeling amongst the team and driver pairings was to maximise the point-scoring opportunities, especially given the success penalties after a strong Oulton Park round.

Qualifying

In a dry qualifying session, Car #7, driven by Jamie Day and Mikey Porter, clinched P3 in both the overall GT4 and in class (Silver), while the sister #47 car, driven by Will Orton and Marc Warren, began from P7 overall and P3 in class (Pro/Am). With earlier damp/wet running throughout the testing and a good balanced feel of the car, the true pace of the Aston in the dry conditions left plenty to mull over for both engineers and drivers to search for improvements. With the balance of performance locked in for the weekend, the hope of wet running for Sunday’s race was relied upon.

The Race

Luckily, Mother Nature delivered with a very wet start to the morning. The 3-hour endurance race commenced under a safety car due to the wet conditions, allowing for a more controlled and safe start with the AM drivers in both GT3 and GT4 classes, respectively. Jamie Day was the preferred starter for the race in line with the mandatory Silver cup nomination. The regulations permitted drivers of the same FIA grading to choose their starting and remaining stint order.

The race witnessed its initial pit stops during the first Full Course Yellow, prompted by a collision between the RAM Racing Mercedes-AMG and Century’s BMW. Both Forsetti cars executed a double stack stop, putting Porter and Orton out for their first stint and a test of skill in the tough track conditions. After the 1st hour, Porter sat in P3 overall with Orton in P5, with multiple cars now playing out varying strategies. The 3-hour race format mandates 3 pit stops with driver changes, meaning 4 driving stints in total with an open choice of pit window, tyre, and fuel load.

As the time continued to count down, in the midst of the action, the Ginetta #56 ahead incurred a drive-through penalty for speeding under the Full Course Yellow, resulting in a time setback and offering an advantage to Porter. However, Brown in Optimum’s #90, which set the combined pole position with teammate Meakin, managed to overtake Porter, securing the lead and maintaining the gap. The battle throughout the day was seemingly going to be contested between the #90 for the overall win and silver class honours against the #7 car, whilst the #47 car and #31 Mercedes of Dawson and Morris were battling hard for the overall final podium position and Pro/Am win.

Into the final hour, an untimely FCY period followed by a safety car meant that further pit stops were cycled through, and the Optimum McLaren crew were able to take a lap lead over the rest of the GT4 field, securing a comfortable gap which was then never under threat. The biggest winners were the #69 pairing of Lake/Mutch with their Lotus in the Pro/Am class, taking advantage of the lesser pit stop loss during FCY as well as no success penalty over the #47 and #31 cars respectively, thus jumping to P3 overall and P1 in the Pro/Am class.

The team executed all three pit-stop scenarios as double stacks, demonstrating a clean performance and executed to a good standard, showcasing the payoff of their late-night practice sessions and hard work.

Porter piloted Car #7 to a second-place finish overall and in class, they also claimed the fastest lap in class (2:23.776), while Orton drove Car #47 to fifth place overall, securing third place in class. This resulted in an overall podium finish and two class podiums, along with an additional 42 points contributing to the team's tally in the ongoing championship battle. As a result, the Forsetti Motorsport team now leads the standings with 112 points, and with a healthy gap ahead of Optimum Motorsport who have 64.5 points.

Porter and Day lead the Silver Cup and overall standings, whilst Warren and Orton are 22 points behind overall, sitting P4 and P3 in the Pro/Am Cup 18.5 points behind Dawson and Morris.

The championship continues next month at Donington Park with another 3-hour race and more points-scoring opportunities with the x1.5 system, meaning there is still all to play for in an exciting multi-class and overall battle.