Jonny Adam and James Cottingham have won the opening Intelligent Money British GT Championship. The #4 2 Seas Motorsport Mercedes-AMG partnership led the GT3 class from the very start, surviving two safety car restarts and a late rain shower to win at Oulton Park this morning.
Ross Gunn and Andrew Howard were challenging for the majority of the race in the #97 Beechdean AMR Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 after starting further down the field. A mega move from Andrew Howard on the #93 Sky Tempesta Racing McLaren and the #8 Team Abba Racing Mercedes-AMG into turn one was the start of their charge and after the pitstops, Ross Gunn was on the attack.
They lost out late on to eventual third place finishers, the #77 Enduro Motorsport McLaren 720S GT3 of Marcus Clutton and Morgan Tillbrook, who overtook the Aston Martin with four minutes remaining but as the final lap began the Aston Martin got back past.
On the final straight into Lodge corner, Gunn was side-by-side with Jonny Adam as both outbroke themselves and nearly went off the track. Adam held on to take the win by 0.455s.
Fourth place went to the #1 2 Seas Motorsport Mercedes AMG driven by Jules Gounon and Ian Loggie. Throughout the race they lacked pace but were able to keep tabs with the leading group and Gounon nearly took third on the line but just missed out. John Ferguson and Raffaele Marciello were fifth in their #15 RAM Racing Mercedes-AMG.
Dan Harper and Darren Leung were flying in the second half of the race in the #91 Century Motorsport BMW M4 GT3 and were third and closing on the front two. But, after getting a bit too keen at the second safety car restart, Harper was awarded a drive through penalty and they eventually finished in sixth.
Leading the GT4 class honours was the #62 Ford Mustang GT4 run by Academy Motorsport of Matt Nicoll-Jones and Will Moore. Having started in the pitlane, the duo started on slick tyres whilst rivals did not and were able to leap to the front. At the second safety car, during the GT4 pitstop phase, they were able to stay a lap ahead of their rivals and from then on were untroubled to the flag. Pitlane to winning by a lap, all in a day's work. The #61 Academy Motorsport Ford Mustang GT4 as driven by Erik Evans and Matt Cowley was second with the #55 Raceway Motorsport Ginetta G56 GT4 of Michael Crees and Thomas Holland in third.
Intelligent Money British GT Championship, Race One, Oulton Park
- Adam/Cottingham, 2 Seas Motorsport, Mercedes-AMG GT3, 31 Laps
- Gunn/Howard, Beechdean AMR, Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3, +0.455
- Tillbrook/Clutton, Enuduro Motorsport, McLaren 720S GT3, +1.364
- Loggie/Gounon, 2 Seas Motorsport, Mercedes-AMG GT3, +1.393
- Ferguson/Marciello, RAM Racing, Mercedes-AMG, +8.684
- Harper/Leung, Century Motorsport, BMW M4 GT3, +11.134
- Radcliffe/Bell, Optimum Motorsport, McLaren 720S GT3, +28.871
- Hankey/Khera, Race Lab, McLaren 720S GT3, +30.083
- Smith/Plowman, Paddock Motorsport, McLaren 720S GT3, +36.155
- Campbell/Kell, Race Lab, McLaren 720S GT3, +38.362