Garden Party – GT Cup heads to the Garden of England for Brands Hatch Rounds

Following an exciting opening weekend at Donington Park, the GT Cup continues its 2024 campaign at Brands Hatch. Four thrilling races await our competitors at the 2.33-mile Kentish circuit.

It’s been a cracking start to the season for Forsetti Motorsport in Group GTH – the current overall points leaders. Three group wins from four gave Matthew Higgins and Mikey Porter a solid stack of points to build on this weekend.

Elsewhere in Group GTH, Forsetti’s second car in the hands of Jodie Sloss and Rianna O’Meara-Hunt also had some solid results, enough to place them third in the group points tables. The pair were beaten to second place by Team Parker Racing’s combination of Charles Dawson and Seb Morris thanks to a race win of their own. The top three face fierce competition from another five entries including SVG Motorsport, Paddock Motorsport, Morpheus Motorsport and a new face from Driven Performance Engineers – a Ginetta G55 with Ray Harris on board.

Sitting second in the overall standings is Group GTO runner Jay Shepherd in the National Motorsport Academy Lotus Evora. Two race wins, including an overall race win, puts Shepherd on 84 points behind Higgins and Porter’s 91.

A swap to Group GTO has proven very fruitful for Team Abba Racing’s Richard Neary and Ian Loggie. Despite a DNF during Sunday’s Sprint Race at Donington Park, the pair took plenty of points thanks to their own pair of race wins. Although, it goes to show that consistency is indeed key as Kendall Developments’ Paul Bailey and David Brabham delivered solid finishes in every race which was enough to place them ahead of Abba in the group standings.

Donington Park saw technical issues for both the Tim Gray Motorsport Radical RXC and Richard Chamberlain’s Porsche. Both teams will no doubt have been working hard since April to get their cars back into competitive form – well worth keeping an eye on out on track.

Group GTC’s Topcats Racing currently sits third in the overall points standings. Charlotte Gilbert and Tom Rawlings proved to be a force to be reckoned with for the rest of the GTC field. The second Topcats Lamborghini made a surprise appearance at Donington Park in the hands of Warren Gilbert and makes a return for Brands Hatch. Team Parker Racing’s Miles Rudman has settled into his Porsche very well, claiming enough points to place him second in the Group GTC standings.

Team Parker’s Keith Bush and Woodrow Motorsports’ Chris Murphy round out the Group GTC grid, and both the Porsche and BMW will be looking to scoop up more points from Brands Hatch.

Group GT3 sees an additional car this weekend in the form of a McLaren 720S GT3 from Optimum Motorsport. British GT driver Mark Radcliff joins forces with pro Rob Bell to take on the Kentish circuit. G-Cat Racing will have more competition in the group this weekend.

Jolt Racing made the switch with their McLaren 570S GT4 to Group GTA from Group GTH, leaving Rupert Williams and John Ingram to run the orange group decals for the rest of the season.

Each day during an event will kick off with a 15-minute free practice session followed by two 15-minute qualifying sessions with up to three groups running in each session. Qualifying times set the grid for the day’s first race. The fastest laps during the day’s first race then determine who sits where on the grid for the day’s second race. In a change from 2023, Saturday runs with the Sprint Race followed by the Pit-Stop Race, while Sunday runs in the reverse with the Sprint closing out the day.

Track action kicks off on Saturday morning with free practice at 10.00am. Plus, all four races will be broadcast live on Facebook and YouTube.