Sport   Other Sports   Touring Cars

British GT Championship
Oulton Park - Race 2 Report - 30/5/16

By MJP Media | 30 May 2016

Bentley boys Rick Parfitt Jnr and Seb Morris secure a maiden British GT win in race two at Oulton Park.

Parfitt Jnr and Morris were jumping for joy after their maiden win
Parfitt Jnr and Morris were jumping for joy after their maiden win

Team Parker Racing's Rick Parfitt Jnr and Seb Morris secured theirs and Bentley's maiden British GT Championship victory at Oulton Park this afternoon thanks to a commanding performance in the day's second hour-long race.

Behind them Alasdair McCaig, Rob Bell and the Black Bull Ecurie Ecosse team celebrated their first series podium since switching to McLaren's 650S, while the GT3 rostrum was completed by Barwell Motorsport's Jon Minshaw and Phil Keen. The race finished five minutes early after Anna Walewska, who had been leading the GT4 class, crashed her Century Motorsport Ginetta at Lodge.

Team Parker Racing's Bentley Continental at Oulton Park
Team Parker Racing's Bentley Continental at Oulton Park

Third place in the day's earlier race ensured pole-sitter Morris would need not only to hold on to first but also build a five second lead if he and Parfitt Jnr were to have any chance of making amends for losing the opening encounter after being blocked in the pits. That they did so handsomely had everything to do with an opening stint in which the Welshman bolted clear at the start and never looked back. Bell, whose McLaren had blocked the Bentley in race one, gave chase but couldn't prevent Morris from building a 13.5 second lead before the mandatory driver changes.

Parfitt Jnr and McCaig jumped aboard their respective charges one lap apart before emerging from the pit stop cycle with nine seconds separating them, a gap that would remain fairly static until the chequered flag. Indeed, just 10.5 seconds covered the pair at the finish.

The McLaren 650S of Black Bull Ecurie Ecosse took its first series podium
The McLaren 650S of Black Bull Ecurie Ecosse took its first series podium

Barwell Motorsport's Jon Minshaw and Phil Keen started and finished third, but not before some shuffling had taken place. The latter actually dropped to fifth at the start after Beechdean AMR's Ross Gunn and Barwell team-mate Adam Carroll jumped ahead, but both eventually fell back to give the #33 Lamborghini its second podium in three rounds. Championship leader Jonny Adam had been looking to secure a record-equalling 11th British GT3 victory this weekend but eventually had to settle for fourth in the day's second race after a solid fifth in the opener. The Scot slipped behind Carroll at the start to run sixth in the early stages before TF Sport co-driver Derek Johnston profited from a second stint drive-through penalty for Andrew Howard, who'd taken over the Beechdean AMR V12 Vantage from Ross Gunn, as well as Barwell's pit-stop success penalty, to secure more solid points.

Liam Griffin and Adam Carroll's race one victory ensured they, like Seb Morris and Rick Parfitt Jnr, would have to serve additional time during their mandatory driver change. Their 10 second handicap was sufficient only to drop them one place after Carroll's fast start helped him claim two positions on the opening lap. Howard and Gunn had the pace to finish on the podium before Beechdean AMR's pit lane infringement and subsequent penalty dropped them to sixth, one place ahead of Mark Farmer and Jon Barnes' TF Sport Aston Martin Vantage. Today's results mean Johnston and Adam have retained their lead in the Drivers' Championship, although Griffin's race one victory has seen him close the gap to 21.5 points. Parfitt Jnr and Morris are only 7 points further back in third.

Touring Car content supplied by MJP Media

Olympus Camera

THE INSIDE TRACK WITH SILVERLINE SUBARU BMR RACING

A regular account of life in the British Touring Car Championship from the team's point of view


Looking forward to Oulton Park this weekend Looking forward to Oulton Park this weekend
After a difficult time for us, we hope to have much better news at Oulton Park this weekend!


We made it and the boys 'done good'! We made it and the boys 'done good'!
It's the BTCC season opener at Brands Hatch and we have four Subaru Levorgs blasting around the circuit, so a huge thank you has to go to everyone in the team for all of their dedicated work and long nights.


The BMR Academy is up and running for 2016 The BMR Academy is up and running for 2016
Team BMR show off their three drivers as part of their long term development plan.


Q&A with Team BMR Chief Designer Carl Faux Q&A with Team BMR Chief Designer Carl Faux
One of the BTCC's top engineering talents, Carl Faux, has been hard at work preparing our all-new Subaru Levorg machines that we are bringing to the series for 2016 and we spoke to him ahead of today's Season Launch.


Things are coming together - watch this space! Things are coming together - watch this space!
As the 2016 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship launch approaches, here is a little teaser of what is to come.


Our team is complete for this year's BTCC campaign Our team is complete for this year's BTCC campaign
James Cole completes our Team BMR driver line-up for the 2016 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship in the series debut Subaru UK manufacturer team and we couldn't be happier.

 


TOURING CARS - LATEST NEWS

Race reports and previews from the British Touring Car Championship plus British interests in other international Touring Car series


British GT - Oulton Park - Race 2 Report - 30/5/16 British GT - Oulton Park - Race 2 Report - 30/5/16
Bentley boys Rick Parfitt Jnr and Seb Morris secure a maiden British GT win in race two at Oulton Park.


British GT - Oulton Park - Race 1 Report - 30/5/16 British GT - Oulton Park - Race 1 Report - 30/5/16
Pit stop gamble pays ultimate reward as Liam Griffin and Adam Carroll win the first of the two British GT races at Oulton Park.


British GT - Oulton Park - Qualifying - 28/5/16 British GT - Oulton Park - Qualifying - 28/5/16
Jon Minshaw lands a maiden British GT pole position at Oulton Park ahead of GT3 Am team-mate Liam Griffin.


BTCC - Oulton Park (Island) Preview - WIN TICKETS! BTCC - Oulton Park (Island) Preview - WIN TICKETS!
Following a short early-season break, the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship roars into action again on June 4th and 5th as the teams and drivers head to the picturesque Oulton Park circuit in Cheshire.


British GT - Oulton Park - Preview British GT - Oulton Park - Preview
The British GT Championship heads to Oulton Park this Bank Holiday weekend with its fair share of BTCC connections in the series including two former Motorbase drivers and Shaun Hollamby's current AMD squad.


BTCC - Thruxton - Race 3 Report - 8/5/16 BTCC - Thruxton - Race 3 Report - 8/5/16
Mat Jackson wins the final race of the day from a sunny Thruxton circuit. Matt Neal and Rob Collard lead the championship with Adam Morgan 3rd after a successful day in all three races.