British GT Championship - Brands Hatch

Qualifying
Race 1
Race 2

Qualifying

Luke Hines has put the number 57 Panoz on Pole for this afternoon’s race. Tom Kimber-Smith will start tomorrow’s race in 2nd place – but the Ferrari is behind the Panoz on both grids.

After a sunny day yesterday in practice, today (Saturday) is showery. In morning practice, all three types of tyres were used – wets, intermediates and full slicks as the rain eased and the circuit began to dry out.

Team LNT’s closest championship rivals Scuderia Ecosse topped the timesheets this morning by 0.005 seconds on the final lap. Hines and Kimber-Smith kept their car at the top for most of the session - the laptimes reducing all the time when the rain stopped.

By the time qualifying came, rain had returned in the meantime to dampen things, then it stopped, then started drizzling again just before the start of session one.

Hines went out first on intermediate tyres and set pole time of 1:39.815 on his second lap out. Chris Niarchos – out for Scuderia – set a 1:42.060 time. Mid-way through the session, the rain suddenly came down heavier and the pitlane filled with cars changing to wet tyres – Team LNT included.

With the circuit getting wetter and wetter, neither Hines nor Niarchos were likely to improve on their times, and indeed they never. The grid for the race later this afternoon will see Hines ahead of Niarchos.

“We had the edge in the wet and managed to put out a good lap in before the rain really came down.” Said Hines. “It’ll be close all weekend which will be good to watch. Chris and I had some close racing at Rockingham – lets see what happens this afternoon.”

Adam Jones starts third in a GT2 class guest appearance by Cirtek Motorsport’s Porsche GT3 RS car.

In the fifteen minute gap between qualifying sessions, the rain passed and the track dried up again. Wets came off the car at the last minute for the return of intermediate tyres – still grooved, but less so than a wet tyre.

Kimber-Smith immediately took provisional pole position with a 1:38.6 time. Unsurprisingly though as the track dried out during the fifteen minute session, times dropped.

So did the jaws of the Team LNT crew when Ian Flux came in on provisional pole position driving his #77 Mosler. They are typically a little off the pace of the Panoz and Ferrari cars, but the Rollcentre ran machine was right on the pace during the session.

Kimber-Smith improved on his time to a 1:37.447 but had to take second place behind the Mosler – Ian Flux obviously revelling in the damp conditions. Tim Mullen, however, had to take third place after running 1.313 seconds slower than Kimber-Smith.

Scuderia Ecosse don’t seem too happy with the dampness. From Team LNT’s championship perspective, lets hope it continues (although as this is being written, the sun is out and blue skies are above…)

Race 1

Luke Hines got away from pole in dry conditions in this afternoon’s race and had a good, clean race with Scuderia Ecosse’s Chris Niarchos. Niarchos kept the young Team LNT driver honest all the way to the driver changeover period.

As the pit window opened, the Rollcentre Mosler (about to be lapped) came into the pits along with Hines and Niarchos 4 seconds behind.

On exiting the pitlane, the order was Kimber-Smith in the Panoz, Ian Flux in his Mosler and Tim Mullen now aboard the Ferrari.

With the Mosler running well, he was right with Kimber-Smith, and all the while he separated the Panoz and Ferrari, all was looking good for a win for Team LNT.

Under pressure from Ferrari, Flux slowed (being a lap down) to allow Mullen past so he could fight for the win. On the same lap Mullen came from 5 seconds behind Kimber-Smith and approaching Surtees corner made contact with the Panoz, sendind Kimber-Smith into a spin, also hitting the Mosler who also spun.

Mullen then opened up a gap of 14 seconds, which he held until the final lap, cruising around to take the chequered flag 11 seconds ahead of Kimber-Smith.

The overtaking manoeuvre by Mullen is being investigated by the clerk of the course and a decision is expected tomorrow (Sunday).

Race 2

The sun shone on Team LNT’s race this afternoon, but Lady Luck didn’t as they took third place honours following a late-race puncture and further tussle with Scuderia.

Furthermore, the result of yesterday’s race hasn’t changed overnight, so Scuderia still maintain the win.

Ian Flux gets cleanly away in his #77 Mosler from Pole with Kimber-Smith and Tim Mullen up behind him. As the GT2 trio break away from the rest of the field, Kimber-Smith bears down on the Rollcentre-ran car’s rear.

Kimber-Smith slips cleanly past the Mosler into the lead after two laps with Mullen following suit on the following lap demoting Flux to third place. 3.3 seconds ahead of Mullen, Kimber-Smith puts in his fastest lap so far of 1:31.482 in an attempt to maintain that cushion.

On the fifth lap the Damax GT3 Ascari and #3 Trackspeed GTC Porsche have a coming together that prompts what was to be the first of three safety car periods. At the re-start, Mullen is only 0.253 seconds behind Kimber-Smith’s Panoz and lass than 1.5 seconds covering the top 3 cars.

The proceeding three laps sees Kimber-Smith defending heavily from the pressures of Mullen, yet still putting in impressive lap times. However, Mullen gets cleanly past on lap 12.

A lap later and the safety car is out again. The #81 GTC Marcos of Team Tiger is the victim of a collision with a wall. This gives Team LNT the opportunity to pit. Loosing less track time (because the cars are going around slower under the safety car), both Kimber-Smith and Mullen enter the pit lane.

Coming in at the same time, and the minimum pit stop length being 45 seconds, whoever would emerge ahead would be whoever got away from their pit box the cleanest.

As the Team LNT clock ticked down to zero from 45, Hines’s reactions and car control enables him to exit his pit box just in front of the #1 Ferrari – now with Chris Niarchos on board.

Two further laps under safety car conditions ensue before racing can recommence – with Ian Flux now heading the GT2 race, but has yet to pit. When racing does get back underway, however, Hines and Niarchos both push each other to the limits as they both fight for the win and indeed the British GT Championship, but Hines able to defend well enough to keep Niarchos behind him.

That is until lap 21 when Hines radios in to the Team LNT pit that he has a puncture on the right rear of the car. Acquired on the way into Druids hairpin just as Niarchos gets by on the inside (there is contact between them on the right rear).

The unscheduled pit stop to change the wheel drops Hines one minute behind Niarchos. However, the safety car comes out again for one lap on lap 26. With the field now closed up much more, Hines’ charge sees him moving up from 17th overall to 11th on the re-start lap, then 6th and up to third behind a new GT2  in the mix for the race.

The #36 Porsche 966 GT3 RS car has re-appeared on the BGT bill for the first time since Donington Park. After several reliability issues over the weekend, the Cirtek car was running well in 2nd place, albeit about 1 second off Hines’s pace. As is well-known in Motorsport, catching a car is one thing; getting past is another – and time was not on Hines’s side.

In the closing stages of the race, Hines caught up with Adam Jones in the #36 Porsche and was just 0.370 seconds behind him on the last lap, but could not find a way past.

With plenty of action and drama around the GP Brands Hatch circuit, there was plenty to keep the crowds on their toes during the 1 hour race – including the many Kleeneze guests utilising the Team LNT Hospitality facility.

“To see Luke overtaking everybody like that was just fantastic” said Andy Medlam from Barnsley. “Our goal today was to come and cheer on the Panoz and did just that. I’m sure to have a sore throat tomorrow now!”

Julie Broadbent from Oxford isn’t normally a motorsport fan, but came with her Team of colleagues for the day out and was pleasantly surprised. “I didn’t know what to expect” she told us. “You could see most of the circuit from our grandstand seats. I’ve never seen any live motorsport before, but I’ll definitely come again if [the Team] will have me! It’s been great!”

If you would like to enjoy Team LNT’s hospitality, keep look out on the Team website for available dates and packages available. Dates for 2007 will be posted as soon as they become available.

Meanwhile, the British GT Championship continues at Silverstone on September 24th. Scuderia Ecosse have regained the Champonship lead by three points, but Team LNT will be there to change that.

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