Aston Martin Racing partner team Beechdean AMR won the seventh round of the 2013 Avon Tyres British GT Championship yesterday (11 August) as Andrew Howard (GB) and Jonny Adam (GB) stormed their V12 Vantage GT3 into the lead from second on the grid, eventually beating the rest of the field by nine seconds after two hours of racing. The weekend started well for the pair, who also contest the Blancpain Endurance Series in the V12-powered Aston Martin, when Adam qualified the car in second position. Things only got better from there when team-owner Howard fought past the pole sitter on Graham Hill Bend before racing away to a healthy lead.
With pits stops complete and Adam behind the wheel, the Vantage GT3 performed faultlessly, allowing the 28-year old Scot to fend off challenges from the pursuing cars and build his lead. Adam maintained the emphatic margin until the chequered flag. With three rounds of the championship remaining, the team sits in second place in the teams’ standings and the victory this weekend puts the Beechdean AMR pair at the top of the drivers’ championship.
The Aston Martin V12 Vantage GT3 of Barwell Motorsport also showed great promise with Mark Poole setting the fastest lap of the first half of the race despite having only raced the 2.44-mile Brands Hatch GP circuit a handful of times. However, team-mate Richard Abra took a trip into the gravel following contact with a GT4 car, which relegated the team to a final result of 20th overall. In the PFG-Kinfaun V12 Vantage GT3, John Gaw (GB) and Phil Dryburgh (GB) finished in ninth overall after a very strong qualifying session which saw the pair start from fourth on the grid.
In the GT4 class, the V8 Vantage of Complete Racing finished fourth in class. The next round of the Avon Tyres British GT Championship takes place at Zandvoort, Holland, on 6-8 September 2013, where races eight and nine of the ten-round championship will take place.
