The Intelligent Money British GT Championship heads to Brands Hatch for the penultimate round of the 2022 season. Titles are on the line with Ian Loggie in a potential position to tie up the GT3 Overall title this weekend. However we may not know if he has managed it until next week as ongoing legal issues from Spa-Francorchamps mean that points from that round have yet to be confirmed.
Key Links
Twitter Coverage:
Live Timing and Scoring:
Qualifying Live Stream:
Saturday 10th September
15:45
Warm Up Live Stream:
Sunday 11th September
10:00
Race Live Stream:
Sunday 11th September
13:30
From The Racetrack
Brands Hatch Saturday
From The Racetrack
Brands Hatch Sunday
Key Stories
Enduro Motorsport Claim Last Minute Victory
Marcus Clutton brought the #77 Enduro Motorsport McLaren 720S GT3 he shares with Morgan Tillbrook home for the team’s third overall victory in the Intelligent Money British GT Championship. The victory came in 2 hour race which was filled with incident across the piste, including for the winning car.
Second place went to Sandy Mitchell, sharing with Adam Balon in the Barwell Motorsport Lamborghini with a surprise third place for the Henry Dawes and Alex Sims driven #91 Century Motorsport BMW M4 GT3.
Guttingly, the leader for all of the second half, Sam Neary, looked set to have victory in the bag until the #8 Team ABBA Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 ran out of fuel and was forced into retirement. The black and green machine was eventually scored in 9th place overall and 2nd in the GT3 Silver AM class.
Title protagonists 2Seas Motorsport, with Lewis Williamson and James Cottingham sharing the driving, took 4th place overall, two places clear of the championship leading RAM Racing machine to keep the GT3 title fight alive to Donington Park.
In GT4 Darren Turner took the chequered flag first with Skully, the Aston Martin V8 Vantage AMR he shares with Matt Topham for Newbridge Motorsport. Much of the final hour saw Turner losing time to super-Silver driver Sennan Fielding in the pole sitting Audi R8 from Steller Motorsport. A combination of traffic and contact with the GT3 winning machine denied Fielding the chance to claim the top spot with Richard Williams. They finished second in the GT4 class ahead of Seb Hopkins and Jamie Orton in 3rd.
15:35 – Sunday 11th September
GT4: The race lead changes on the road – Day has finally found a way past Orton.
— 🇬🇧 #BritishGT 🏁 (@BritishGT) September 11, 2022
The trouble for R Racing is that they’ve got a 20s Success Penalty to serve.
LIVE 📺 https://t.co/J47S4AaeGn pic.twitter.com/jql8EOcyGq
GT3: Success Penalties have – predictably – cost @2seasmotorsport the lead.
— 🇬🇧 #BritishGT 🏁 (@BritishGT) September 11, 2022
Instead it’s @TeamAbbaRacing who have vaulted from third to first by beating Enduro out of the pits.
LIVE 📺 https://t.co/J47S4AaeGn pic.twitter.com/VJ2NO4TXoe
Ice cream smokescreen!
— 🇬🇧 #BritishGT 🏁 (@BritishGT) September 11, 2022
LIVE 📺 https://t.co/J47S4AaeGn pic.twitter.com/BqQbXYWnU8
🟡 SAFETY CAR 🟡
— 🇬🇧 #BritishGT 🏁 (@BritishGT) September 11, 2022
Contact between the championship rivals! And @nik has nowhere to go!
LIVE 📺 https://t.co/J47S4AaeGn pic.twitter.com/qaNudDqcGm
.@GreystoneGt‘s McLaren comes to blows with Valluga’s Porsche!
— 🇬🇧 #BritishGT 🏁 (@BritishGT) September 11, 2022
LIVE 📺 https://t.co/J47S4AaeGn pic.twitter.com/F2hlcE59LJ
Greystone GT Head for Early Showers.
Lewis Proctor has confirmed to circuit commentary that the #5 Greystone GT McLaren 720S GT3 has joined its stablemates on the list of retirements after this incident on the Cooper Straight.
13:55 – Sunday 11th September
7TSIX Top Competitive Warm Up Session
Euan Hankey has blasted to the top of the time sheets in Warm Up ahead of the 2 hour British GT encounter on the Brands Hatch Grand Prix circuit. The 7TSIX pro driver hit the top of the time sheets with just a couple of laps left in the 15 minute session, taking victory in a quick battle of fastest laps which saw the top car with 2 minutes to go, dropping to fifth by the end of the session.
Second place went to Enduro Motorsport and the McLaren 720S GT3 of Marcus Clutton. Clutton shares with Morgan Tillbrook. Lewis Proctor rounded out a McLaren 1-2-3 for Greystone GT, giving hope of a strong result in the race for the beleaguered Greystone outfit.
In GT4 Matt Cowley set the fastest time, slotting the Academy Motorsport Ford Mustang GT4 in ahead of Aston Martin factory driver Darren Turner. The second place car was of course a Vantage GT4, the #27 machine affectionately known as Skully.
Joe Wheeler’s best efforts in the Assetto Motorsport Ginetta G56 GT4 he shares with Freddie Tomlinson, netted third place in the session.
The Warm Up wasn’t without incident. The #9 Century Motorsport BMW M4 GT4 returned to the track after its incident in qualifying but soon ground to a halt on the straight out of Surtees and up to Hawthorns.
The most impressive incident however was between the Sky Tempesta Racing Mercedes-AMG and the Redline Racing Lamborghini. The Italian machine was completely blameless coming out of Stirlings as the Mercedes got a better run through the corner but misjudged the overtake. Carbon fibre decorated the circuit for the remainder of the session.
10:42 – Sunday 11th September
Update on the Walking Wounded.
Cars encountered problems throughout Saturday and several machines were undergoing repair over night. As warm up gets underway we can update you on several entries whose participation was in doubt.
We are already aware that John Ferguson and Ulysse De Pauw will not take any part in the rest of the weekend following the accident for the #15 Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO at Hawthornes. Chassis damage means that it isn’t possible to repair the car locally and a re-shelling is now planned for the car.
The other car involved in the incident, the #7 Mercedes-AMG GT3 of Ed McDermott and Michael Broadhurst has applied to the stewards for permission to race despite not taking part in qualifying or even in much more than the first 20 minutes of FP1. That suggests that the team’s labours on the damaged Motus One Racing machine have borne fruit and we look forward to seeing the car out later today.
Another withdrawn entry in GT3 is the #24 Greystone GT McLaren 720S GT3 of Andrey Borodin and Ed Pead. The accident on the Cooper Straight yesterday during qualifying did too much damage to the car so Greystone will instead concentrate all their efforts on the #5 Stewart and Lewis Proctor entry.
The final red flag of the British GT day yesterday came in GT4 qualifying for an accident which affected Chris Salkeld in the car he shares with Tom Rawlings. The Century Motorsport team worked overnight to repair the BMW M4 GT4. The car has made it out for Warm Up but continues to have issues.
10:13 – Sunday 11th September
Third in the Championship but First on the Grid for Steller.
Trailing championship leaders Matt Topham and Darren Turner by just 3 points with two races to go, Richard Williams and Sennan Fielding have given themselves the best possible chance of a shot at the title by taking pole position. 0.112 seconds was the margin at the end of the session with title rivals Jamie Day and Josh Miller hot on their heels.
Williams credited Fielding with the result but only 0.594 seconds split the two drivers apart when it mattered.
Toyota GAZOO Racing UK continued their strong season by taking third place on the grid alongside Team Parker Racing’s Orton/Hopkins pairing. Academy Motorsport’s Cowely/Signoretti crew took fifth with GT4 championship leaders Matt Topham and Darren Turner in a distant 7th place.
A red flag hit the GT4 session too. Around the halfway mark of the session a mystery accident befell the Century Motorsport BMW M4 GT4 of Chris Salkeld. The driver was unharmed in the incident but there was damage to the rear suspension on the right hand side and a tricky recovery left the competition waiting in the pits for action to resume.
17:35 – Saturday 10th September
Cottingham and Williamson Take Vital Brands Pole.
The 2Seas Motorsport Mercedes-AMG GT3 of James Cottingham and Lewis Williamson have broken McLaren’s hold on the top spot, at the most opportune of times. The #4 Mercedes claimed the top spot on aggregated timings in the GT3 qualifying session at Brands Hatch this afternoon.
Cottingham went first and topped his session by 0.091 seconds. It may not sound like much but it’s one of the larger margins we’ve seen all day. Williamson was second and got very close to claiming the top spot in his session too, falling just 0.013 short of the Redline Racing Lamborghini Huracan GT3 EVO of James Dorlin.
Enduro Motorsport’s Morgan Tillbrook and Marcus Clutton will line up alongside the yellow Mercedes on the front row of the grid tomorrow with Redline in third and Barwell Motorsport’s sole Lamborghini in fourth place. Fifth was the best that championship leader Ian Loggie and his part time co-driver Callum MacLeod could manage; the result offers hope of the GT3 title fight continuing all the way to the flag in Donington Park.
Red flags flew for a sizeable accident on the Cooper Straight for Andrey Borodin in the Greystone GT #24 machine. There was lots of damage to the car but it all looks pretty repairable so we are hopeful to see the blue and yellow McLaren start from the back of the GT3 grid tomorrow.
17:28 – Saturday 10th September
Watts & Kell Go Like a Rocket RJN for FP2
McLaren continued to show its rear diffuser to the field in FP2 thanks to Team Rocket RJN pairing Simon Watts and James Kell. In a session free of the long delay which beset FP1 Kell made hay while the late summer sun shone, surpassing early pace setter Scott Malvern to claim the top spot in the #2 machine.
Second went to James Cottingham and Lewis Williamson, whose 2Seas Motorsport Mercedes-AMG remains the most likely candidate to deny Ian Loggie his first British GT title.
The top three in GT3 was rounded out by another Mercedes-AMG, this time the non-EVO version of father/son racers Richard and Sam Neary.
The earstwhile pace setters from Team Parker Racing settled for 6th at the end.
In GT4 Academy Motorsport came to the fore with Marco Signoretti and Matt Cowley sharing the driving of the only Ford Mustang in the entry.
By today’s standard the margin was massive. 0.180 seconds split the Mustang from Valluga Racing who claimed their second session in the number 2 spot. R Racing’s Jamie Day and Josh Miller took third.
15:28 – Saturday 10th September
Fox Motorsport Report Decision on Spa Appeal
Fox Motorsport, one of the two teams appealing the decision to exclude them from the results of qualifying ahead of the last round of the championship at Spa-Francorchamps, are reporting that the National Court have upheld their appeal and that the results of the race in Belgium stand. The decision also likely affects Paddock Motorsport who were also racing under appeal during round 7 of the championship.
The decision also affects other championship contenders and means that Ian Loggie can potentially claim the GT3 Overall title a round early at this weekends Brands Hatch race.
13:28 – Saturday 10th September
7TSIX Claim FP1 at Brands
Mia Flewett and Euan Hankey have topped the first free practice session at Brands Hatch for 7TSIX in the McLaren 720s GT3. The fastest time came on just the fourth lap of the session and initially gave the pair the top spot by almost a second.
Over the course of the rest of the session rivals whittled that lead down to 0.096 seconds but still, the #76 machine stood tall.
Second went to championship hopeful Ian Loggie thanks to team mate Callum MacLeod while Morgan Tillbrook and Marcus Clutton rounded out the top three in GT3.
In GT4 the top spot was taken by Richard Williams and Sennan Fielding of Steller Motorsport. The Audi R8 LMS GT4, still running in its plain silver livery, claimed bragging rights by an even slimmer margin, just 0.029 seconds from Valluga Racing’s Mark Radcliffe and Benji Heatherington.
Team Parker Racing took third in GT4, thanks to Jamie Orton and Seb Hopkins.
The big talking point of the session was an early accident. The #15 RAM Racing machine of John Ferguson and Ulysse De Pauw somehow collided with the #7 Motus One Racing Mercedes-AMG GT4 of Ed McDermott and Michael Broadhurst. The GT4 car hopes to race tomorrow, the GT3 is already packing up for home.
12:42 – Saturday 10th September
FP1 Crash Costs RAM Dearly.
The #15 RAM Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 of John Ferguson and Ulysse De Pauw has been withdrawn from the 2 hour race at Brands Hatch following a collision with GT4 traffic at Hawthornes during the first practice session.
The incident caused a red flag stoppage to the session as marshals and track services repaired barrier damage on the Grand Prix loop.
The Motus One Racing Mercedes-AMG GT4 has not been withdrawn. The car will not return to the track today but the team are hopeful that they may have the car back out tomorrow for the race or possibly warm up.
12:30 – Saturday 10th September
British GT at Brands Confirmed to Go Ahead.
Motorsport Vision has confirmed that events will take place this weekend in the wake of the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. Organisers of some events, including horse racing and this weekend’s Coventry MotorFest have opted to cancel them as a mark of respect.
With pivitol rounds of major championships taking place at two of the major MSV venues, the decision was taken at a board meeting to continue with racing this weekend.
Changes to the programme for the weekend have been made with a two minutes silence added to the timetable on both days of racing. Additionally winning drivers will not spray Champagne on the podium. The British GT entries will also carry a Union Flag roundel in place of title sponsor Intelligent Money’s roundel on the sun strips as a mark of respect.
17:37 – Friday 9th September
Entry List Bolstered by Single Round Runners.
The entry list for this weekend’s penultimate round of the 2022 Intelligent Money British GT Championship has been reinforced by single round entries in both classes.
In GT3 the return of Sky Tempesta Racing adds a Mercedes to the field, where Chris Froggatt is joined by former champion Andrew Howard. Ed Pead and Andrey Borodin meanwhile make their championship debuts aboard the second Greystone GT McLaren GT3. BMW factory ace Alex Simms joins Century Motorsport to race alongside series debutant Henry Dawes.
GT3 additions are welcome as both the WPI Motorsport Lamborghini and Assetto Motorsport Bentley have been withdrawn for the remainder of the series as business commitments mean the amateur drives cannot continue.
In GT4 Motus One have brought their Mercedes-AMG in place of the full season McLaren. Assetto Motorsport meanwhile have redeployed their now un-needed GT3 team members to a second Ginetta G56 GT4 for Darren Lung and factory man Charlie Robertson. Adam Hadfield rounds out the changes, stepping in alongside Moh Ritson in the Paddock Motorsport GT4 entry.
