Snetterton Race Report
What can I say, it’s been an awesome seasons racing and we have finished 2024 GT Cup Overall Champions, GTC Champions and the team won the Team Championship, our sister car won the Sporting Challenge Championship and also the Sprint Challenge Championship, this as never been done before by one team and also my teammate Charlotte Gilbert is the first female to win the overall GT Cup Championship.
Qualifying
It was a tough qualifying session with the pole position fastest lap swapping lap after lap between myself and the G-Cat Racing Porsche of Jennings, I gave it my all and managed to grab pole and set the fastest lap of 1m51.754 that was quick enough for overall pole position ready for the sprint race.
Race 1 Sprint
Starting from pole the race was a manic 25-minute Sprint contest I managed to pull a really good lead on the chasing pack but just after the halfway mark I had pulled a 22second lead when all of a sudden, I had a really bad vibration coming from the left rear and thought I had got a puncture so made my way into the pits. The guys thoroughly checked everything and could not see anything other than some excessive rubber build up on the tyre so sent me straight back out. I re-joined the race now down in 8th place and some 30 plus seconds behind the leading pack. I got my head down a took a few risks but managed to get on the back of the train that was fighting for 2nd,3rd and fourth, with 2 laps to go I got past the KTM Xbow and moved up to fourth and then our sister car made a mistake and out braked himself into the last corner which aloud me to take advantage of his mistake moving uoto third and then I managed to overtake the Lamborghini GT3 of Paul Bailey at Riches moving me up to P2 overall and P1 in class and setting a new lap record in class of 1.50.277.
Pitstop Race Saturday
With me getting the fastest lap in the sprint race it meant my teammate Charlotte started the race from pole position, she got a great start and managed to keep up a good pace only getting passed by our sister car coming in to the driver change over in P2 in class but, then we had a 55 second pitstop because of our success penalty from winning the last race. This meant I re-joined the race down in 6th place, I had a real battle on my hands with trying to get back up the leader board but put in some really strong laps eventually getting us back up to P2 in class which ultimately gave us enough points to be crowned GT Cup overall champions and GTC class champions.
Pitstop Race Sunday
Before the pitstop race on Sunday during the 15-minute free practice, I went out to warm the car up etc and less than a third of the way around the track the gearbox decided to explode. Once we had got the car recovered to the pit garage the team worked miracles and replaced the complete gearbox so we could continue ready for the Pitstop race, but we missed the formation lap and Charlotte ended up having to start from the pit lane. She drove like a demon and made some ultra-daring overtakes to bring the car in for me to take over in P2, I got going and then halfway round my out lap I lost all gears causing me to spin ending our race.
I would like to thank you sincerely for all your support this season it really makes a massive difference and without it I would not be able to do what I do.
