British GT4 - Academy's gamble pays off handsomely 11.04.2023: Intelligent Money British GT Championship Oulton Park Circuit Monday, April 10th 2023 Academy Motorsport was conspicuously absent as the grid formed up ahead of the first race of the season, as Matt Nicoll-Jones’ squad opted to keep both its Mus

Intelligent Money British GT Championship
Oulton Park Circuit
Monday, April 10th 2023


 
Academy Motorsport was conspicuously absent as the grid formed up ahead of the first race of the season, as Matt Nicoll-Jones’ squad opted to keep both its Mustangs in the pits as long as possible to make a call on whether to fit wet or dry-compound Pirellis.



Slicks ultimately won out, which allowed both Mustangs to muscle their way to the front before the regulation pitstops began.



Initially, things didn’t look like going that way at all with the majority of the field forming up on wets. Jack Brown led the opening stages in Optimum’s pole-winning McLaren from Aston Millar’s DTO Artura, Zac Meakin’s Team Parker Porsche, and Josh Miller’s R Racing Aston Martin.



Things began to change around at quarter distance when those that had taken the gamble to start on slicks began to find the heat and grip needed as the track gradually dried. This is when the Mustangs made their move, Moore and Cowley running in formation as they sliced their way up the order to eventually run one-two just as the GT4 pit window opened after 28 minutes.



Academy, unlike the wet-shod runners, kept its Mustangs out until the end of the window, with Moore being last to stop – an inspired decision as it turned out thanks to the timing of the second Safety Car period. It sparked a race against time for Academy to get the car serviced and back out before the pack came around behind the Safety Car and closed the pit exit. Nicoll-Jones got the leading car back on track just before the pit exit light turned red, and in doing so gained a lap on everybody to put the result all-but beyond doubt.


Evans was less fortunate with the timing of his stop but ran second regardless, albeit with the DTO McLaren now in the hands of Josh Rowledge and Optimum’s Artura driven by Charles Clark right on his tail. DTO lost ground when the car was handed a drive-through for pitting outside the mandatory window, leaving Clark to chase Evans for second. He had just worked his way past when the rain returned and he slid off track down the order to sixth.



That opened the door for Raceway Motorsport’s Ginetta of Michael Crees and Thomas Holland to snatch the final podium spot. Crees made superb progress on slicks during the tricky early stages, which also laid the foundations for his team’s Pro-Am victory.


Carl Cavers and Lewis Plato’s Century BMW M4 was fourth overall ahead of the sister car shared by Michael Johnston and Chris Salkeld. The Paddock Motorsport McLaren Artura of Kavi Jundu and Tom Rawlings finished seventh on the road but was promoted to sixth in the final classification at Optimum’s expense. It could have been far higher, though: Jundu started on slicks and ran second by the pit window, but the car missed the green pit exit light by just three seconds.
 
 



2023 CALENDAR


April 8 & 10 – Oulton Park (2x 1-hour)
May 6/7 – Silverstone 500 (1x 3-hour)
May 27/28 – Donington Park (1x 2-hour)
June 17/18 – Snetterton (2x 1-hour)
July 22/23 – Algarve (1x 3-hour)
September 9/10 – Brands Hatch (1x 2-hour)      
October 21/22 – Donington Park (1x 2-hour)
 


TOM HORNSBY- photo SRO