PODIUM REWARD FOR SPA-RKLING BRITISH GT PERFORMANCE
Matty’s return to the Spa Francorchamps circuit in Belgium was a successful one as he took a well-earned third place in last weekend’s two hour endurance race in British GT.
It was arguably the 20 year old driver’s strongest weekend in the championship to date, with impressive race pace backed up with a solid qualifying showing, as Matty set the fourth fastest overall time in his segment and the second fastest in British GT.
Starting from 15th on the grid, after changeable weather conditions compromised team-mate Jack Mitchell’s qualifying, it was the driver from Kent who took the wheel for the opening stint and laid the foundations for a strong result.
Avoiding the inevitable first lap carnage and driving well, Mitchell guided the Macmillan Racing Aston Martin Vantage to a strong fifth place as he headed for the pits and hand the car over.
Re-joining the race following a slick pit stop, Matty continued the good work throughout his hour stint, making up two further positions as he made his way steadily up the GT4 field, chasing the leaders and pulling away from his pursuers.
The ultimately comfortable result closed the gap to Beechdeen Racing drivers Jack Bartholomew and Jordan Albert from 55 points to 38.5, giving a boost to Graham and Mitchell’s bid to not only take the Silver young driver’s title, in their first season in British GT, but also to their prospects of finishing as the best Aston Martin crew.
Speaking post-race, Matty said: “When I took over, I was in quite a lot of space but I soon began catching other GT4′s, including quite a lot of the European cars.
“We were fastest of the Aston Martins and I was really happy to bring the car home in third place. It was great to get good points for the team and it was a result I felt we really deserved. We’ve had a third and a second place now, so I hope we can get the win before the season ends.”
Team Principal David Macmillan said: “Seeing Jack and Matty on the podium – at Spa – will definitely rank among the great memories from our debut season as a team. A great result at a legendary circuit certainly gives you a glow and it’s a fantastic reward for the hard work that everyone puts in. I couldn’t be prouder of the whole team.”