Avon Tyres British GT Championship debutant Marc Hayek and his vastly experienced co-driver Peter Kox claimed an emphatic fifth round win Saturday at Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium, their Reiter Engineering Lamborghini Gallardo lapping the field to take the win. It was Swiss driver Hayek's solid first stint in the 150-minute endurance marathon which laid the groundwork for Dutchman Kox's finishing flourish.
The Lamborghini snatched the lead from the Trackspeed Porsche of Richard Westbrook and David Ashburn with 15 laps to run, Westbrook having led for much of the race distance before handing over to Ashburn for the final 50 minutes. The sister Porsche of Olivers Morley and Bryant claimed the final podium slot to make it a Trackspeed 2-3. Christian Dick and Jamie Stanley were once again the G4 class victors for Speedworks Motorsport.
There was drama even before the off when the Preci-Spark Ascari of reigning champions David and Godfrey Jones failed to make the start after suffering post-qualifying engine trouble, but most of the remainder of the field made it to the end of the race despite its gruelling nature.
Hayek led from the pole through Eau Rouge but relinquished the lead to the charging Westbrook before lap's end, the championship returnee quickly pulling a healthy lead until Matt Griffin's MTECH Ferrari, which started eighth, fought through to take control of the race on lap 11. Westbrook was content to sit on the Ferrari's tail, resuming the race lead on lap 20 when Griffin pitted to hand over to Duncan Cameron.
Westbrook led still, all the way through a protracted safety car period caused by the demise of a Belgian championship car, and on to his hand-over to Ashburn on the 36th lap. "I had no idea where the car was in the race," said David, "because the team don't tell me in case I panic!" In fact Ashburn inherited a 19-second lead from Westbrook.
But David's tenure lasted only a further three laps, as Kox, who had taken over from Hayek on the 18th lap and had made his second pit stop on lap 29, closed down the Porsche's lead and swept past to take top spot. From there it was a 15-lap canter to the chequered flag for the flying Dutchman, who paid tribute to his team-mate's hard work: "He was fantastic, If you consider that really it was his first outing in a GT3 car. He kept the gaps small and didn't lose too much time in traffic to the quicker guys, so it was perfect. We maybe lost some time with the safety car, but it worked out OK."
Ashburn drove brilliantly to claim second, nearly two minutes clear of the other Trackspeed machine, which finished just ahead of the Barwell-Cadena Aston Martin of Paul Whight/Michael Bentwood. A podium result might have been on for them but for a late-race drive-through penalty incurred for an alleged yellow flag infringement. Whight's stirling middle-stint drive in the Aston earned him the Sunoco Driver of the Day award.
The RPM Ford GT, driven by Philip Walker and Alex Mortimer, placed fifth, half a minute clear of the MTECH Ferrari, which was delayed by a stop to replace a debris-damaged front tyre late in the race. Phil Burton and Adam Wilcox overcame braking problems suffered in qualifying to bring their Predator Ferrari home seventh.
A persistent misfire hobbled the pace of the STP Ferrari of Dan Brown/Chris Hyman, which placed eighth, just ahead of the sister car of Jose Balbiani and Juan Garriz, which had a damper problem.
Dick and Stanley brought their Speedworks Ginetta home a laudable 10th overall and a clear G4 class victor after a relatively trouble-free run. "It might have looked straightforward," said Stanley, "but in reality it was anything but. The tyres were going towards the end, and then I got tagged by a Ferrari through Blanchimont, which was an interesting moment for me. But we came hoping for a reasonable result, so to win is great."
The ABG-prepared KTM X-Bow placed second in G4 in the hands of Rory Butcher and Benjamin Harvey. The Osman Yusuf/Joe Osborne Ginetta missed out on third in class because of fuelling issues.
Hector Lester and Allan Simonsen made it to the end despite their Rosso Verde Ferrari suffering a number of tyre-damage issues, but a broken gearbox put an end to the race of Tom Ferrier and Paul Warren. The GT3 Racing Viper was another unhappy non-finisher.
British GT is sponsored by UK tyre manufacturer Avon Tyres and is further supported by Sunoco Racing Fuels, Anglo American Oil Company and The Independent.
Provisional results Sa-Francorchamps 5/6/2010Round 5 56 laps = 243.72 miles
Overall & GT31 Reiter Lamborghini Gallardo Peter Kox (NED) / Marc Hayek (SUI) 2h 32m 33.616s2 Trackspeed Porsche 911 GT3R David Ashburn / Richard Westbrook 55 laps3 Trackspeed Porsche 911 GT3R Oliver Bryant / Oliver Morley 55 laps4 Barwell-Cadena Aston DBRS9 Paul Whight / Michael Bentwood 55 laps5 RPM Motorsport Ford GT Philip Walker / Alex Mortimer 54 laps6 MTECH Ferrari 430 Scud Duncan Cameron / Matt Griffin (IRL) 54 laps7 Predator CCTV Ferrari 430 Scud Phil Burton / Adam Wilcox 54 laps8 Chad Ferrari 430 Scud Chris Hyman (RSA) / Dan Brown 53 laps9 Chad Ferrari 430 Jose Balbiani (ARG) / Juan Garriz (ARG) 53 laps10 Rosso Verde Ferrari 430 Scud Hector Lester / Allan Simonsen (DEN) 49 lapsFastest lap: Kox 2m 25.863s / 107.41mph Record
Did not finishGT3 Racing Viper CC Craig Wilkins / Aaron Scott 47 lapsChad Ferrari 430 Scud Paul Warren / Tom Ferrier 28 lapsDid not start: Preci-Spark Ascari David Jones / Godfrey Jones
G4 Class1 Speedworks Ginetta G50 Christian Dick / Jamie Stanley 51 laps2 Prestige/ABG KTM X-Bow Benjamin Harvey / Rory Butcher 50 lapsDid not finishTeam Osborne Ginetta G50 Joe Osborne / Osman Yusuf 39 laps
Provisional championship standingsOverall & GT31= Cameron & Griffin 34 points; 3 Ashburn 32; 4= David & Godfrey Jones, Hayek & Kox 20 etc.
G4 Class1= Dick & Stanley 38; 3= Butcher & Harvey 30; 5= Osborne & Yusuf 15 etc.
Next rounds: Rockingham 17/18 July
