Qualifying.
On pole for race one the #88 Team Abba Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 with the #18 WPI Motorsport Lamborghini joining them on the front row.
On row two is the #11 and #63 Barwell Motorsport Lamborghini's.
The #5 Porsche of Richard Chamberlain starts on pole in GTO and the #9 Topcats Racing Lamborghini took pole in GTC. Team Hard Porsche of Richard Marsh and Sam Randon topped the group in GTB, whilst the #6 Century Motorsport Ginetta G55 topped the group in GTA and the #1 Orange Racing Powered by JMH Automotive McLaren topped the GTH group.
- Team Abba Racing have decided after going so well at Donington Park they will do the whole season in the Mercedes-AMG GT3 and fight for the championship.
- G-Cat Racing and ALP Racing racing make a return.
- Because of the big grid the pit stops will be done in groups:
- Group one - GT3 - GTO - GTC - between 19th - 23rd minute.
- Group two - GTB - GTA - GTH - between 23rd - 28th minute.
Balfe Motorsport take their maiden GT Cup win in race one at Brands Hatch.
Race one
Race one was full of drama with started before the race had even begun when the #18 WPI Motorsport Lamborghini pitted at the end of it lap to the grid and will start the race from the pits and pitted again several laps into race with a brake issue.
After a great opening stint by Richard Neary in the Team Abba Mercedes, that was all undone when he pitted before the mandatory pit window had opened, which turned out to be a miscalculation by the team and things didn't help matters when the Team Abba Mercedes pitted again later on with a puncture.
Barwell Lamborghini's at the front.
This left the two Barwell Motorsport Lamborghini's fighting for the lead at the front up to and after the group one pit stops had been completed and the #63 Lamborghini was leading the #11.
But a brief safety car late on, closed the field and spiced things up a bit.
The Balfe Motorsport McLaren is flying.
At the restart it was the #36 Blafe Motorsport McLaren of Lewis and Stuart Proctor who was on a charge and soon took the #11 Lamborghini of Balon for 3rd place.
The #63 Lamborghini of Machitski was defending hard from the #61 Scott Sport Lamborghini of Phil Quaife ,who then took at Surtees and this helped the #36 Balfe Motorsport McLaren move up to 2nd place and that soon became 1st place when Proctor made a great move at Hawthorns for the lead of the race and they held onto that lead and with it secured Balfe Motorsport's maiden win in the GT CUP.
The top three.
1st place - #36 Balfe Motorsport McLaren
2nd place - #61 Scott Sport Lamborghini
3rd place - #4 Triple M Motorsport / Tec Serv Nissan.
* Car #63 Disqualified from the meeting regulation Q12.21.4 refers.
The GTO honours went to the #55 JMH Automotive Lamborghini of John Seale and Abbie Eaton and that was helped with the retirements of the #5 Porsche of Richard Chamberlain on lap two and the #7 Raw Motorsport Radical on lap 12.
The Topcats Racing Lamborghini Super Trofeo driven by Warren Gilbert and Jensen Lunn took another win in GTC.
There was a fantastic battle in GTB between the #34 Team Hard Porsche and the #38 Geoff Steel BMW Evolution, but it was the Geoff Steel BMW that took the GTB honours after the Team Hard Porsche received two time penalties for infringements.
In GTA the Scott Sport Ginetta G55 driven by Craig Wilkins and Aaron Scott took the win.
In GTH the #1 Orange Racing Powered by JMH Automotive driven by Simon Orange and Joshua Jackson.
Team Abba Racing make amends for their race one misfortunes by storming to victory in race two.
Starting on pole for race two is the #11 Barwell Motorsport Lamborghini of Adam Balon with the #88 Team Abba Racing Mercedes of Richard Neary along side him.
Problems again for the #18 WPI Motorsport Lamborghini who again starts the race from the pits.
A great start from the front two.
After a great start from the front row by Balon in the Lamborghini and Neary in the Mercedes they were soon pulling away from the rest of the field and then Richard Neary made the vital move early on in the race (lap 4) and took the #11 Lamborghini of Balon for the lead of the race and never looked back as he stormed to a dominant win to win by nearly 30 seconds ahead of the #11 Barwell Lamborghini of Balon.
Drive of the day.
The #18 WPI Motorsport Lamborghini of Michael Igoe and Phil Keen produced a stunning display to come from 44th place and storm through the field to finish 3rd.
In GTO after making a slow start and dropping down the field, Richard Chamberlain in the #5 Porsche came through the field to take the GTO win.
Stanbridge Motorsport win in GTC as Topcats Racings Jensen Lunn produces another stunning drive.
Stanbridge Motorsport took their maiden win of the season with their #96 Lamborghini driven by Stuart Hall and Chris Kemp after the Topcats Racing Lamborghini hit trouble
and was off on the grass earlier in the race, but soon got going again and was able to pit and make the driver change, so Jensen Lunn took over the driving duties for the second half of the race.
Five second time penalty.
With Jensen Lunn now in the Topcats racing Lamborghini and now on a charge, but things weren't made easy when they were given a five second time penalty for an overtake during the safety car period earlier in the race.
Knowing that the win in GTC was out of reach, that didn't stop Jensen who was charging and in the end took 2nd place in GTC by the smallest of margins 0.014 ahead of the #41 Stanbridge Motorsport Lamborghini who finished in 3rd place.
In GTB it was the #34 Team Hard Porsche that took the win after another great battle with the #38 Geoff Steel BMW Evolution earlier in the race.
The #106 Century Motorsport Ginetta G55 driven by Henry Dawes took the race win in GTA.
The GTH honours again went to the #1 Orange Racing Powered by JMH Automotive McLaren 570s GT4 who took their 2nd win of the day.
- The next GT CUP round is at the Snetterton 300 on the 5th / 6th June and spectators will be allowed.