The SV-led Horsepower Racing team clinched the 2013 Avon Tyres British GT Championship GTC title by taking top honours in class during Donington Park’s season finale (5-6 September).
Both Paul Bailey and Andy Schulz used Saturday’s free practice sessions to re-familiarise themselves with the extended 2.49mile Donington Park GP circuit before a frantic and red flag-disrupted qualifying session.
The Bailey/Schulz driver pairing were unaffected by the frenetic nature of the 30-minute session and appropriately qualified their stunning Horsepower Racing Ferrari 458 GTC in 23rd position, directly between the more powerful GT3 contenders and slower GT4-spec machinery.
Sunday’s two-hour grand finale played out on a beautiful autumnal day and a large, expectant crowd filled the East Midlands-based venue’s spectator banks and grandstands to witness the 32-strong field of exotic race cars do battle.
It was a relatively straight-forward affair for the Horsepower Racing operation, Bailey completing a trouble-free opening stint before handing over the reins to Schulz.
Sterling work by the SV-led team ensured the HPR-liveried Ferrari ran flawlessly throughout. Therefore, there was nothing to distract Schulz from the job at hand, which involved negotiating the slower GT4 contingent without impeding the leading GT3 contenders, while also managing fuel consumption to the chequered flag.
Two highly successful exploratory British GT outings and a championship title have spurred the London-based Horsepower Racing outfit to commit to a full GT3 campaign with an Aston Martin V12 Vantage in 2014.
And, for Bailey, this is a tantalising prospect and something that has been in the pipeline for some time: “It was a fantastic weekend for the Horsepower Racing team and it’s great to win the GTC championship! Having this title under our belts gives us great confidence going into next year when we’ll be racing a GT3-spec Aston Martin V12 Vantage.
“We had to finish with a good result because we were racing teams that contested the GTC Class earlier this season. However, we were racing ourselves too – SV did a fantastic job to ensure the car was mechanically sound and that thoroughness resulted in Andy (Schulz) and I ending the day on the podium spraying champagne and collecting silverware.”
Schulz added: “Paul (Bailey) got a really good start and kept out of trouble before handing over to me. The atmosphere was amazing and it was quite a busy race, as I not only had to stay out of the way of the faster GT3 cars but make my way past the GT4s without being slowed. It was great fun!
“SV prepared the car really well and all I had to do is maintain a good pace in order to keep up the momentum and concentration. We were critical on fuel in the latter stages so that was quite nerve-racking but we made it to the end. Now we can look forward to the 2014 season! It will be a hard task and we’ll have to do a lot of learning to do to ensure we’re as competitive as possible, but it’s exciting.
SV Team Manager, Tom Ferrier, concluded: “Everything went as planned and, on the whole, the weekend wasn’t too stressful. Paul drove very well and was definitely a step closer to Andy’s pace and as easy as it seemed, we had to make sure we didn’t take anything for granted. Ultimately, the team made sure the Ferrari ran reliably, we recorded the fastest pit-stop time and the drivers were consistent.
“We were quite tight on fuel at the end but I’m very happy with the team’s performance. We won two races in our first British GT season and finished third in the championship, so to have another crack at it will be brilliant. We have some work to do on the Avon Tyres and to bring Paul and Andy up to speed, as the racing is so tight and requires more of a sprint race mentality where you’re on full attack. It won’t be easy and needs to be looked at as a two-year programme, but it’ll be a really enjoyable challenge.”
Horsepower Racing will return to Donington Park for the penultimate round of the 2013 Britcar MSA British Endurance Championship on 2nd November.
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