Neary perfect performance from Abba at Snetterton
Abba Racing took it all on the opening day of GT Cup Championship action at Snetterton, as Richard Neary and Ian Loggie took both wins on Saturday in Norfolk.
Neary was made to work for his success in the opening race of the day after battling hard with the Kendall Developments Brabham that won at Brands Hatch most recently. Loggie then joined his Abba partner on the top step of the podium in the endurance contest later in the afternoon.
GT3 was dominated by the G-Cat Racing Porsche squad which also bagged second overall in the latter race, while GTC was all about Topcats Racing who did a group double with Charlotte Gilbert and Tom Rawlings.
GTH wins were shared by both Forsetti Motorsport Aston Martins, and Jolt Racing were untouchable in the GTA class with their McLaren 570S.
Qualifying
Sunshine and blustery winds greeted the field as the first competitive action of the day got underway in Norfolk with GTO, GT3 and GTC hitting the track first.
From the off, Richard Neary - in a Team Abba Racing Mercedes that is picking up some mean bare carbon to add to the green chrome livery - was on a charge and it wasn't long before he was topping the timing sheets.
He was on a charge, but so was Paul Bailey in a Brabham BT62 which has been flying since its welcome return to GT Cup last time out. The reigning champ was getting closer to Neary's benchmark but fell just short - he joined the Mercedes on the front-row with Abba picking up Overall and GTO pole.
Tom Rawlings added another GTC pole to his growing collection as he headed a Topcats Racing 1-2 with Fraser Fenwick impressing in his first qualifying session in the Lamborghini Super Trofeo.
GTH featured another team taking a front-row lock out, with Forsetti Motorsport's Aston Martins taking the honours - Mikey Porter pipping Rianna O'Meara-Hunt by 0.389sec.
GT3 went to G-Cat Racing, while John Ingram took the honours in GTA for Jolt Racing.
Sprint Race
The first race action of the weekend proved to be a thriller from the very start. Starting from the outside of the front-row, Paul Bailey used the sheer grunt of the BT62 to power clear of Neary’s AMG and into the lead.
Neary, the 2021 GT Cup champion, didn’t let the Australian machine disappear into the distance and was setting - and then bettering - the fastest lap of the race marker on multiple laps as he stayed within one second, waiting for his opportunity to strike.
A slight mistake was seemingly the end of Neary’s challenge, as he slipped to two seconds back, but a technical issue for Bailey meant he had to retire early, handing the Abba crew Overall and GTO success.
Second overall, and taking a storming win in GTC, was Tom Rawlings in the Topcats Super Trofeo who mastered the start and maintained his advantage to take the Group victory. It could have been another overall podium for Topcats, but Fraser Fenwick hadn’t counted for the wily fox Richard Chamberlain, who utilised the grunt of his Porsche to maintain his third overall - second in GTO - and keep Fenwick just off the Overall podium.
Mikey Porter maintained his imperious form from Qualifying to head a GTH 1-2 for Forsetti Motorsport, as he bested O’Meara-Hunt in the sister Vantage. Adam Hatfield - returning to GT Cup - rounded out the Group podium for Paddock Motorsport.
GT3 honours went the way of Shamus Jennings in the G-Cat Racing Porsche, while John Ingram tasted GTA success for Jolt Racing.
Endurance Race
The second race of the day was the 50-minute Pit Stop contest, and Abba Racing picked up from where it left off in the early afternoon.
Loggie this time started the #6 Mercedes, and he romped away into a healthy lead of over 45 seconds by the time he handed the green machine over to Neary.
The Sprint winner doubled up with a calm and composed performance in the second stint, hanging on to win overall ahead of the GT3-winning Porsche of Jennings and Greg Caton.
Jennings had brought the G-Cat Racing Porsche up into the top three after surpassing Charlotte Gilbert's Lamborghini Huracan Super Trofeo. After chasing Chamberlain's older Porsche model, Jennings left team-mate Caton to dive inside Chamberlain at the entry to the Bentley Straight in the closing laps to confirm second spot.
The Topcats Racing GTC battle went the way of Gilbert and Rawlings, beating the sister #3 Lamborghini after a strong opening stint by the former. Third in the group went to Chris Murphy in his BMW M3 GTR.
GTH was all about a tale of triumph and woe for Forsetti Motorsport. The #9 Aston Martin could not double its victory tally after pitting with issues on the second tour, leaving the way clear for the #10 Vantage of Marc Warren and Rianna O'Meara-Hunt to seal a dominant victory over Paddock Motorsport's McLaren Artura, driven by Michael Orant and Adam Hatfield.
GTA was again topped by the Jolt Racing McLaren duo of Ingram and Williams.
#3 Fraser Fenwick
“I'm loving GT Cup, it's a brilliant championship to be in - it's definitely the step I needed to go from Mazdas and its the right choice for me. It's a big jump, but it's a jump that I've always wanted to make and I'm now in the paddock where I wanted to be and it's now about improving myself and working with the team. It's been a brilliant Saturday and more tomorrow."
#11 Adam Hatfield
“It's really good, the Sprint was good - we were competitive - with P3, followed up with an event better result in the Endurance Race with P2 alongside Mike [Orant]. It just feels like we're making progress every time we're out in the car - it's been a long time away! Paddock have delivered a really competitive package this weekend, McLaren has developed a great car and hopefully we can challenge more tomorrow."
#370 Rupert Williams
“It was quite entertaining for me - watching the bigger boys battle around me! For me out there, it's about getting track time and getting used to traffic and used to getting round, just improving on my times really and I'm glad to report that is happening. My in-lap I was like 'another second is coming!' I'm really enjoying it."
#6 Ian Loggie
“We knew we needed to make a gap [in the Endurance Race] so I just went hard right away, rather than waiting to get into it I just went full steam ahead. The car was really good, great balance and the set-up - touch wood - means it's difficult to make a mistake in the car. It's a slightly different set-up [compared to Brands Hatch], and it's got some quirky stuff that I don't have in my car so its a matter of getting the laps in and then trusting. Every time I get in I think I can go quicker because I'm getting more used to it all the time."
