Brit makes it three class rostrums on the bounce aboard Speedworks Aston
Ollie Hancock’s knack of finishing on the podium continued with a second in class at round three of the International Endurance Series at Zandvoort last weekend (May 29/30).
Third place at the championship’s previous Mugello event followed by the same result in Britcar’s blue riband Silverstone 24 Hours race set the 27-year-old up perfectly to go one better in Holland alongside Speedworks co-drivers Devon Modell and John Gilbert.
Having qualified the #170 Aston Martin Vantage GT4 third in the SP3 category, Modell braved the deteriorating weather conditions on slick tyres over the course of his opening race stint on Friday evening before switching to wets after an hour. The top three continued to circulate closely over the course of their second runs ahead of the first driver changes that saw Hancock, amongst others, climb aboard.
The championship’s unique format of splitting its races in two meant he would only have around 60 minutes to make a difference before track action ceased for the evening, and over his stint the former Formula Renault BARC champion did exactly that by closing in on the second-placed Porsche.
That ensured he was in prime position to pounce once racing resumed in dry conditions on Saturday morning, first taking second and then the lead before completing his double stint.
Around three-and-a-half hours later, following Gilbert and Modell’s runs, Ollie once again found himself jostling for the podium positions before eventually helping to secure runner-up honours in class during the race’s final quarter.
The result sees the former factory Lotus driver extend his personal run of modern GT racing rostrums to six after also securing silverware during his previous three British GT appearances. It also helps Modell and Gilbert assume top-spot in the Drivers’ standings at the halfway mark of this year’s International Endurance Series.
“Like Mugello I’d only ever coached and tested at Zandvoort before last weekend’s race so obviously I’m delighted for the team and myself to have picked up another podium,” said Ollie afterwards. “The weather made things tricky on Friday evening but Devon coped well and gave me an opportunity to close down the leaders before making a move on Saturday morning. Although it was dry we still had some work to do, and the guys did well to keep us at the sharp end.
“It was certainly an interesting experience to race a GT4 car in an enduro at Zandvoort! There’s very little run-off if you make a mistake and it’s not like the track is especially wide either, so you have to keep your wits about you. Bravery in traffic is all well and good but sometimes you have to temper your approach in order to avoid errors. Finishing second validated that decision.”
Hancock will now put his Speedworks’ super-sub role on hold for the time being as he focuses on piloting the one-of-a-kind 1976 LEC CRP1/02 grand prix car up Goodwood’s famous hillclimb at the Festival of Speed on June 27/28.
