Round six of the Avon Tyres British GT Championship takes place at Brands Hatch Grand Prix Circuit this coming weekend, 1st/2nd August, where Wisbech driver Jake Giddings is aiming to push the JWBird Motorsport team back towards the GT4 Class podium.
Following a problematic visit to Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium last time out, where the Aston Martin V8 Vantage he shares with team-mate Kieran Griffin developed power issues which pegged back the squad’s level of performance, all eyes now are on a return to form at Brands Hatch.
Requiring further investigation at the headquarters of Aston Martin Racing partner Prodrive, the V8 engine was given a clean bill of health after the cause of the problem was identified as an issue with the fuel pump, stemming from the fuel used at Spa.
Restricting the power output, the net result at Spa was a loss of around 20bhp but after testing the car at Snetterton last Friday, 24th July, Jake says the No.47 Aston is back to its best and the whole team is raring to go for next Sunday’s eagerly awaited two-hour contest at Brands.
“Spa wasn’t the weekend we’d hoped for, so we’re really determined to get back up in the top four or five at Brands”, said the 20-year-old reigning GT4 Champion, “The GP track is always a lot of fun to drive and everyone in the team is really looking forward to the weekend.
“If we can make sure we’re up there in the race and in a position to make the most of any Safety Cars, we could have a good chance of a decent result – we seem to have done a good job with our pit strategies this year.”
While the visit to Belgium didn’t go as intended, the JWBird squad did manage to continue its unbroken run of points-scoring results with ninth position in GT4. The highlight of the campaign to date, of course, is the top three finish at Rockingham back in May and Jake harbours hopes of revisiting the podium sooner rather than later.
The Aston Martin Evolution Academy driver, who is personally sponsored by Finesse Paving & Civil Engineering, Cowley Road Garage and Toppesfield, was a race winner during the Brands fixture last year so if a trouble-free weekend can be enjoyed silverware won’t be out of the question.
“Finishing on the podium will be tough, but we’ve already done it once this season and I know Kieran is as determined as I am to make it happen”, added Jake, “If we can have a clear run in qualifying, keep out of trouble early on and make the most of any opportunities that come our way we should be OK.”
Going into the fifth race meeting of the season, Jake and Kieran are ninth in the GT4 championship standings and sixth in the Pro-Am title race. In the team standings, meanwhile, JWBird Motorsport holds eighth position.
Following free practice on Saturday, 1st August, qualifying for the GT4 Class will get underway at 16.50 with the ‘Am’ session, immediately before the ‘Pro’ session in which Jake will feature. On Sunday, 2nd August, morning warm-up will begin at 10.00 with round six of the British GT season commencing at 13.30. Live television coverage of the race is scheduled to be screened on Motors TV.
Avon Tyres British GT Championship GT4 Driver Standings (after Rd5): 9th Jake Giddings/Kieran Griffin, 42.5pts
Avon Tyres British GT Championship GT4 Pro-Am Standings (after Rd5): 6th Jake Giddings/Kieran Griffin, 64pts
Avon Tyres British GT Championship GT4 Team Standings (after Rd5): 8th JWBird Motorsport, 42.5pts
