Rounds 5 and 6 saw the GT Cup Championship moving to the GP circuit of Brands Hatch for what was a massive grid of 46 entries and the biggest grid so far for the GT Cup. Half of the field was seen to comprise of GT3 and GTH cars. In addition, a raft of British GT teams were seen to be getting some valuable track time prior to their season start later this month at Brands Hatch. Sadly, this was another spectator free event due to Covid restrictions.
Qualifying was split into three sessions, with three groups in each session. The first session saw the GT3 cars taking control with the #88 Mercedes AMG GT3 of Richard Neary and Sam Neary of Abba Racing taking pole position. The #18 Lamborghini Huracan GT3 as driven by Michael Igoe and Phil Keen of WPI Motorsport was about a second behind and thus taking the next spot on the grid. Both of the Barwell Motorsport Lamborghini Huracan GT3’s covered the second row of the grid.
Race 1
Race one (Round 5) looked as though it would be a straight forward win for the #88 Abba Racing Mercedes AMG GT3 as they were the early leaders, that is until they made the costly mistake of pitting before the official pit window was opened. Thanks to this, they eventually end up finishing in 10th place. Early into the race the #18, Lamborghini Huracan GT3 of WPI Motorsport was hit with brake problems and after only completing seven laps, they remained in the pits for the remainder of the race. This would now place them at the back of the grid for race 2. The front runners were now headed by the two Barwell Motorsport Lamborghini Huracan GT3’s, with Leo Machitski leading the pair of whom after finishing the race in 3rd place was disqualified from the race meeting for a causing a collision. The first place was now hotly contended between Lewis Proctor in his Mclaren 750s GT3 and Phil Quaife in his Lamborghini Huracan GT3. Both received a 5-second penalty for overtaking under a yellow flag but it was Lewis Procter that managed to steer the #36 Balfe Motorsport to the first victory of the day.
Hot on the back of his two wins at Silverstone last weekend in the Britcar Endurance saw the GTO class win go to John Seale in his Lamborghini Huracan GT3, this week however he is back sharing the seat with Abbie Eaton.
The overall group winners were
GT3 #36 Balfe Motorsport
GTO #55 JMH Automotive Ltd
GTC #9 Topcats Racing
GTB #38 Geoff Steel Racing
GTA #80 Scott Sport
GTH #1 Orange / JMH Automotive Ltd
Race 2
Race two (Round 6) saw the front row grid car of the Abba Racing Mercedes make an easy win and an amends to their first race with a nearly 30 second lead over the second place car of Adam Balon and his Lamborghini Huracan GT3. Third place went to Michael Igoe and the WPI Motorsport Lamborghini Huracan GT3 in what was an amazing display of overtaking to find the car move through the field from the start position of 44th.
The overall group winners were
GT3 #88 – Team Abba Racing
GTO #5 – CTR Developments
GTC #96 – Stanbridge Motorsport
GTB #34 – Team Hard Racing
GTA #106 – Century Motorsport
GTH #1 – Orange / JMH Automotive Ltd
The next round will be at Snetterton on the 5th and 6th June 2021
Image is from GT Cup
The RacerViews info
By Matt Hancock
We are passionate, dedicated motorsport professionals.
In 2021 you will see us trackside and stage side with exclusive coverage of
- The World Endurance Championship
- The World Rally Championship
- Belgian Rally Championship
- and more!
We aim to bring you interviews and photos you won’t see anywhere else. We don’t aim to break the news, rather we aim to bring the voices of the racers to you and atmosphere of the event to you at home. Our social media presence on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube bring you more, a holistic experience. We partner with racers and professionals in the industry and give back where we can. If we can help you or you have a story to share, please contact us.
RacerViews has partnered with Championships, drivers and teams in the past. If you think we can help, have a tip or just want to say hi, please reach out.
