British GT Championship stewards have ruled that a result and full points will be awarded for British GT’s shortened second race at Oulton Park on Easter Monday.
Heavy rain and a large amount of standing water around the circuit meant the first four laps of Monday’s second race were run behind the Safety Car before Race Director Peter Daly chose to red flag the race. The 35 cars competing were then formed up on the grid under parc ferme rules while Race Control waited for track conditions to improve in the hope of restarting.
However, it became clear the weather was not going to improve in time to run the race so Daly, Senior Clerk of the Course David Scott and MSA Steward Greg Masters opted to abandon the the rest of the day’s races on Safety grounds.
After consulting both the MSA UK’s 2018 General Regulations (GR) and British GT’s Championship Regulations (CR), championship stewards Jamie Champkin, Richard Norbury and David Walton have ruled that a result and points should be awarded on the following basis:
The definition of a ‘race’ (CR 2.6.1.2) constitutes a minimum of two laps being run. Four laps were completed behind the Safety Car while the race clock counted down. A race therefore took place.
The race was not re-started due to the weather and related conditions – therefore on safety grounds. As per CR 2.4.1, there is no obligation to resume or re-run a race terminated on safety grounds.
Thus CR 2.6.1.2 – which covers the declaration of a result in a two-part race – must be read subject to CR 2.4.1 (i.e. that part two was not run).
In the premises and in accordance with the CR and the GR the race results must be declared on the following basis:
In conformity with CR 1.6.1 and 1.6.2 and 1.6.4 on a full Championship points basis the race result should be declared by the Organisers as being the position of those cars that started the race in conformity with the CR and then proceeding under their own power at the end of lap three being one lap before the display of the red flag (GR Q.5.4.2).
CR 1.6.7 must be applied at the next event.
Barwell Motorsport’s Jon Minshaw and Phil Keen have therefore been declared as winners of Oulton Park’s second race, with the two TF Sport Aston Martins of Derek Johnston and Marco Sorensen, and Mark Farmer and Nicki Thiim, taking the rest of the GT3 podium spots.
In GT4, Team Parker Racing’s Nick Jones and Scott Malvern have claimed their maiden class victory in the Mercedes-AMG’s second-ever British GT race. Mike Newbould and Will Burns finished runners-up for HHC Motorsport ahead of Century Motorsport’s Jack Mitchell and Ricky Collard.
Rockingham’s pitstop success penalties will be determined by the top-three from Oulton Park’s second race as usual so this will be the drivers mentioned above.
The decision also means that race one winners Flick Haigh and Jonny Adam count as a non finish in the day’s second race. Adam had crashed on the way to the grid and pitted for repairs before the cars got underway. The car’s repairs were not completed before the red flag came out and so the Optimum Motorsport car did not actually compete in the race.
Minshaw and Keen now lead the GT3 Drivers’ standings by 10 points from ERC Sport’s Lee Mowle and Yelmer Buurman, while Track-Club’s Adam Balon and Ben Barnicoat head Century’s Mitchell and Collard by three points in GT4.
Rockingham will host round two of this year’s British GT Championship on April 28th and 29th. By Marc Waller
