Race Report for Qualifying One
Super start for Sam Neary with sprint race pole
The GT Cup started its second Donington Park weekend under a glorious blue sky on Saturday morning. Initially hoping to run the GP loop, due to unforeseen circumstances, the decision was made by the circuit to only use the National layout.
In the morning’s free practice session, John Seale returned to form setting the fastest overall lap. The De Zille Ferrari 488 put in the fastest GTC lap, while the lone Team Hard Ginetta ran quickest in GTH. Returning team Saxon Motorsport ran well, topping the GTB times and Geoff Steel Racing’s #8 BMW ran quickest in GTA.
Fifteen minutes of qualifying flew by and it was Mercedes from Lamborghini from Nissan in the overall standings. Sam Neary in the #80 Team Abba Racing car set the fastest time of the session with a 1:05.622. Lining up alongside him on the sprint race grid is John Seale in the JMH Lamborghini, with Grahame Tilley’s Nissan GT-R in third.
In GTC James Webb put the vibrant blue Huracan ahead of Graham de Zille’s Ferrari to take pole position in the group. Saxon Motorsport followed on from their free practice performance and claimed the GTB pole position, ahead of Jensen Lunn in the Top Cats Racing Marcos Mantis.
Group GTH was all about Team Hard Racing, as the #21 Ginetta beat John Whitehouse’s McLaren to pole position. A 1:11.531 was more than good enough, putting the Ginetta almost a second clear of its rivals. Lining up third in GTH is the new addition Feathers Motorsport in their Ginetta G55.
