MCLAREN & PORSCHE SHARE GT3 HONOURS AT SNETT

United Autosports and Trackspeed took important victories on Sunday in round five of the 2012 Avon Tyres British GT Championship.

The meeting, which took place on Snetterton’s 300 circuit, was plagued by monsoon like conditions on both days. Indeed, the qualifying session on Saturday afternoon had to be abandoned and grid positions were set on the times recorded in the morning’s two practice sessions.

United Autosports took only their second ever championship victory, as Charles Bateman and Matt Bell won the first of two 60-minute races. A relieved Bell said, “That was probably the most stressful lead of my entire life as we had some fairly severe brake issues which Charles reported from lap 4 or 5. We haven’t really tested though and with the heat and the new tyres, it was new territory for us. Relieved to cross the line and a big release to get the win, but I have to say a big thank you to the team to get us to this point after the season we’ve had.”

The GT4 class had numerous leaders, and the rate of attrition was high. Lee Mowle and George Murrells prevailed though and the Optimum Motorsport pair led home a Ginetta 1-2 as Zoe Wenham and Dom Evans took the runner-up spot.

In the second race, Steve Tandy and Joe Osborne became the first drivers to win two races in the 2012 Avon Tyres British GT Championship, leading home Trackspeed teammates Jon Minshaw and Tim Harvey, while RJN Motorsport’s Jann Mardenborough and Alex Buncombe completed the GT3 podium. Tandy put the win down to staying power saying “I knew what I had to do and to be honest it was a surprisingly quiet race; I really expected someone to be coming at me from the back. I didn’t think Jon would get such a lead on me, but he did and that was that. The Aston and the McLaren broke and ultimately you’ve got to be there at the end, that’s what counts.”

GT4 was again full of action, but it was championship leaders Jody Fannin and Warren Hughes who held on for the class win from Jota’s Mark Ticehurst and Owen Mildenhall with new boys, Steve Chaplin and Phil Keen in the Complete Racing Aston Martin Vantage, taking third spot.

For an in-depth report on both races visit www.britishgt.com