•Fifth place in Barcelona sufficient to secure the coveted crown•Scene set for internecine scrap for drivers’ laurels in 2015 finale

Speedworks Motorsport had cause for celebration once the chequered flag dropped in the FIA International 24H Series in Barcelona last weekend, after wrapping up the teams’ title one round from the end of its first full season in the fiercely-disputed endurance racing championship. Fresh off the back of an impressive five consecutive rostrum finishes with its Global Racing-branded Aston Martin Vantage GT4, Speedworks entered the 24 Hours of Barcelona at Formula One’s Circuit de Catalunya with a single objective – to put the destiny of the laurels firmly beyond reach of any of its rivals. Notwithstanding an early logistical setback, the Northwich, Cheshire-based outfit claimed fourth position on a drying track surface in qualifying in the SP3 division for GT4-spec machinery, with its iconic British sportscar shared by Global Insurance Management MD and track day enthusiast John Gilbert, promising young gun Devon Modell, former Ginetta G50 ace Dan Jones and Warburtons Bakery Executive Director and keen historics racer Ross Warburton. Modell took to the wheel for the start of the gruelling round-the-clock contest and produced an excellent opening stint to move up to second-in-class. Whilst the ever-reliable Aston didn’t miss a beat, a trio of off-track excursions for his team-mates subsequently thwarted progress – the first caused by gravel that had been dragged back onto the circuit by another competitor, as the same corner twice accounted for front-end damage. Be that as it may, the indomitable Speedworks crew are nothing if not resilient, and a stellar effort from the drivers, mechanics and engineers saw the #170 entry flash across the finish line in fifth place amongst the SP3 protagonists, in so doing securing the class crown in the penultimate outing of the 2015 24H Series campaign. The result also ensured that either Gilbert and Modell or team sponsor and Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship points-scorer Tony Hughes will similarly collect the drivers’ spoils in the season finale – the 12 Hours of Brno in the Czech Republic on 9/10 October.“The goal for Barcelona was to get the teams’ championship sewn up, and we knew what we had to do,” affirmed team manager Amy Dick, following a momentous weekend that also saw Speedworks clinch its breakthrough BTCC podium with Tom Ingram at Rockingham. “We adopted a more conservative approach than usual and had a very clear strategy.“We didn’t get off to the ideal start when our race truck transporting the car broke down 500km away in France, which was pretty stressful! That meant we missed all of Thursday’s testing and went into open practice on Friday morning slightly on the back foot.“In light of that, we were pleased to qualify fourth in-class, and we were well aware of the importance of making it all the way through to the chequered flag. Devon got us up to second during a trouble-free first stint, although there were a few minor incidents later on that prompted unscheduled pit visits. Since we only had a limited supply of spare parts and needed to repair the same area of the car twice, there was a certain amount of patching-up involved! The boys did an amazing job as ever on very little sleep.“The Aston itself ran faultlessly yet again, which is testament to all the painstaking preparation that goes on back at the team workshop. At the end of the race, we were closing in on the car ahead but with the teams’ championship in the bag as long as we stayed where we were, it wasn’t worth the risk of pushing too hard and potentially going off.“It was fantastic to capture the teams’ title, and now we’ll go to Brno looking forward to settling the drivers’ battle. Whatever happens, it is guaranteed that one of our guys will win it, which will be an extremely rewarding way to sign off the season.”