BRITISH GT SPA: TSE AND GÖTZ TAKE EASY ARDENNES WIN, WRIGLY AND GOUGH GET THEIR FIRST WIN WITH CENTURY.

It was victory for the #18 2 Seas Motorsport Mercedes of Kevin Tse and Maxi Götz in the two-hour British GT race at Spa Francorchamps. Starting from pole position the pair had an unopposed run to the flag in a race that was disrupted by a red flag to repair barrier damage from a first lap accident.

In GT4 the #29 Century Motorsport BMW M4 GT4 of Ian Gough and Tom Wrigley took their maiden win in the BMW ahead of the #47 Forsetti Motorsport Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4 Evo Marc Warren and Will Orto. The Championship leading #90 Optimum Motorsport McLaren Artura GT4 of Jack Brown and Zac Meakin could only finish in P10 despite starting from pole.  reducing their championship points lead from 30 to just 3. Caught up in the first corner carnage they avoided the trouble but lost multiple places which they were not able to regain.

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GT3

The race got underway with Kevin Tse retaining his lead into La Source however as he headed down the road two separate accidents unfolded behind him which saw the retirement of several cars and a lengthy safety car period to recover various stricken cars followed by a red flag to repair the barriers.

Exiting La Source, there was a coming together between John Ferguson, Richard Neary and Andrew Howard after a moment of oversteer from Ferguson that resulted in a domino effect that pushed Howard into the pit wall forcing his retirement along with Richard Neary in the Team Abba Mercedes.

Ahead of this, a second accident was unfolding between Simon Orange, Carl Cavers, Alex Buncombe and Sacha Kakad. The #32 J&S Racing Audi R8 LMS GT3 of Kakad, which had already been roughed up through La Source, took a hit on the right which saw him spear across the track and hit heavily into the pit wall. Buncombe found a gap and crept through but contact somewhere forced him to stop for repairs.

To the side of Buncombe and attempting to take evasive action, Carl Cavers in the #22 Century Motorsport BMW M4 GT3 he shares with Lewis Plato, went into the side of the#67 Orange Racing Powered by JMH McLaren 720S GT3 of Simon Orange which launched both heavily into the barriers.

Kakad recovered to the pits and managed to get back into the race in a heavily taped up car to finish in P26 and ahead of the only other survivor, the #2 Team RJN McLaren 720S GT3 Evo of Chris and Alex Buncombe.

At the restart and amongst two safety car laps, John Ferguson pitted his #15 RAM Racing BMW M4 GT3 at the end of the first safety car lap having picked up tyre damage immediately putting himself and teammate, Raffaele Marciello, on the back foot at the back of the field.

With the safety car laps completed it was a more orderly affair into La Source with Tse and Petrobelli getting away well at the head of the field where Tse began to pull away from the #87 Blackthorn Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 of Giacomo Petrobelli. The Italian wasn’t going to make it too easy for Tse and quickly closed the distance between the two, but never getting quite close enough to be a worry and never quite far enough back for Tse to fully relax.

Behind the leading pair was Sean Balfe running on his own in the #59 Garage 59 McLaren 720S GT3 Evo and behind him a train of 4 cars led by Matt Topham in the second Blackthorn Aston Martin. The #63 Barwell Lamborghini of Rob Collard directly was close behind Balfe and following Collard was the sister #78 Barwell Lamborghini of Alex Martin with Morgan Tillbrook coming up the rear in the #77 2 Seas Motorsport McLaren.

With the pitstops out of the way the leading trio resumed their positions around the track leaving the main action of the race further back with a serious battle for fourth place developing prior to the pit stops and through to the end of the race.

Rob Collard had been following Topham in the Aston for some time and was threatening to take the position as the race wore on. It was a good clean move up the inside of the Aston Martin at the Bus Stop Chicane, the cars rattling their door mirrors through the turn, that saw Collard take P4.

Following the pitstops it was Sandy Mitchell who was charging through the pack, first taking sixth place from Phil Keen in the #6 2 Seas Motorsport Mercedes-AMG GT3 after getting a good run down the Kemmel Straight and slipping past into Les Coombes. At the start of the next lap, Mitchell then dispatched Marcus Clutton in the #77 Garage 59 McLaren 720S GT3 to put himself into P4.

This just left Ricky Collard ahead of him but with a 17-second lead with 20 minutes of the race to go, it seemed unlikely a change would occur. However a late investigation into the #63’s pitstop may have created some nerves across the Collard side of the Barwell garage, but a reprimand for use of dolly skates in the pit lane meant they kept P3.

However, in the final minutes there would be a promotion for most of the runners and heartbreak for Jonny Adam in the #87 Blackthorn Aston Martin retired from second place with just 10 minutes of the race remaining following a mechanical failure.

There was one moment of anxiety for race leader Maxi Götz  as the race ticked down into the final minutes when, at the end of the Kemmel Straight,  a back marker failed to see him and turned in causing contact and risking his 12 second lead.

Both cars got away unscathed and Götz was able to take the chequered flag and victory, maintaining his comfortable lead over his pursuers.

GT4

It seemed like it wasn’t going to be Century Motorsport’s weekend following a big accident in qualifying for Ravi Ramyead in the #71 BMW M4 GT4 which resulted in the car’s withdrawal from the race. Then in the opening lap they lost the #22 BMW M4 GT3 which left just a single Century Motorsport car in the race.

The Pro-Am duo of Ian Gough and Tom Wrigley stepped up to the challenge. Leveraging the additional pit stop time available to Silver-graded pairings, they strategically maneuvered their BMW to the front of the pack. Their performance showcased not only skill but also resilience – a testament to their unwavering commitment.

The GT4 grid order was anything but conventional. Combined times from Pre-Qualifying shuffled the starting positions, resulting in an absorbing race. Quick crews found themselves starting further back than usual, setting the stage for thrilling battles.

Freddie Tomlinson and Stuart Middleton piloted the #56 DTO Motorsport Ginetta G56 GT4 Evo from pole position. Their early lead, however, was disrupted by a GT3 accident ahead. Tomlinson’s deft navigation allowed the Ginetta to maintain its position, while Luca Hopkinson surged in the #17 RAM Racing Mercedes-AMG GT4, securing second place.

Starting a lowly 13th, Jamie Day in the#7 Forsetti Motorsport Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4 Evo embarked on a remarkable charge. His brilliant performance during the first half of the race propelled him to third place. Day’s relentless pursuit of the lead Ginetta kept spectators on the edge of their seats.

At the front though it was an early pit stop by Tom Wrigley in the #29 Century Motorsport BMW M4 GT4 that paid dividends. Less time stationary and a well-timed re-entry catapulted him into the net race lead. He extended his advantage over Will Orton’s #47 Forsetti Motorsport Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4 Evo, leaving no room for doubt as he powered toward the chequered flag.

Mikey Porter secured a two-three finish for Forsetti, while Charles Dawson and Seb Morris experienced late drama in their Team Parker Racing Mercedes-AMG. Morris was another who had driven up through the field and was looking like he would be challenging for the lead. It wasn’t to be as Morris fell victim to the many track limit infringements that were being issued by the race director. A drive-through penalty dashed the teams hopes, dropping them down the field and allowing Forsetti to reclaim the podium places.

Resources: daily sports car