Aston Martin Racing partner team Beechdean AMR has retained the British GT Championship GT4 title at the penultimate round of the nine-race series with Aston Martin Evolution Academy drivers Ross Gunn (GB) and Jamie Chadwick (GB), in a weekend that also saw success for the marque in the leading GT3 class.
24 August 2015, Gaydon - Aston Martin Racing partner team Beechdean AMR has retained the British GT Championship GT4 title at the penultimate round of the nine-race series with Aston Martin Evolution Academy drivers Ross Gunn (GB) and Jamie Chadwick (GB), in a weekend that also saw success for the marque in the leading GT3 class.
As well as becoming the first female to win a British GT Championship title, Chadwick, aged 17 years and 95 days, has become the youngest competitor to take the GT4 title following the team’s results at Snetterton yesterday.
“I wasn’t really expecting this, to be honest!” Chadwick commented. “We knew Beechdean AMR, with the credentials they have, would put us there or thereabouts but, at the end of the day, it was up to Ross and I to deliver. It was evident straight away what amazing pace he had and we clicked quite quickly. I think halfway through the season, with those two wins under our belt, we knew it was about being consistent. The Aston Martin Vantage GT4’s reliability played into our hands, too. To win it is just unbelievable and awesome!”
Chadwick and team-mate Gunn are both part of Aston Martin’s inaugural Evolution Academy, a programme for GT racing’s top up-coming talent that offers training and advice from the factory team based at Prodrive in Banbury as well as support from the prestigious road car marque.
Gunn, aged 18, added: “It’s quite unbelievable. All the hard work we’ve put in throughout the year has been leading up to this and I’m absolutely over the moon. We’ve been in the mix all year, which I have to say comes down to the efforts of Aston Martin Racing and Beechdean AMR, who have given us an incredibly reliable and quick race car. I also need to say a big personal thanks to Andrew and Susie Howard who took me on at the start of the year when I had absolutely nothing. From where I was then to where I am now is a dream, a real dream.”
In addition to clinching the GT4 title, Beechdean AMR’s GT3 team of Andrew Howard (GB) and Jonny Adam (GB) won the second one-hour race yesterday to close the gap to the overall championship leaders to just two points going into the final round at Donington in three weeks.
Aston Martin Racing works driver Adam commented: “To close the gap on the championship leaders is fantastic but there’s a lot of work to do at the final round to clinch the title. Andrew and I will be giving it all we’ve got and looking to repeat Beechdean AMR’s GT3 championship win of 2013. It was a great weekend for the V12 Vantage GT3 all round and we had some fantastic clean wheel-to-wheel racing that ended with a lot of success for Aston Martin Racing’s customer teams.”
In fact, of the six GT3 podium spots up for grabs today, Aston Martin V12 Vantage GT3s took five of them, locking out all three steps in race one and taking the win and third place in race two.
Team Principal John Gaw said: “What a weekend of celebration for Aston Martin Racing customer teams! Obviously, it’s fantastic that Jamie and Ross have won the GT4 Championship with a round to go. They have both seriously impressed this year and are both very deserving. After such success in GT4, I’m sure Beechdean AMR will be determined to ‘do the double’ and take the GT3 title.
“In addition to Beechdean AMR’s race two win, Oman Racing by Motorbase won race one, TF Sport took two podiums and GT22 did a great job to finish third, so it was a great weekend all-in-all. The championship finale at Donington is set to be very exciting!”
The final round of the British GT Championship takes place on 12/13 September at Donington Park.