Rockingham Motor Speedway with its high-speed banking plays host to Round 3 of the Avon Tyres British GT Championship this weekend (2-3 May) and TF Sport will be hoping for a pair of strong finishes in the two-hour endurance race.
A difficult opening to its 2015 British GT campaign at Cheshire’s Oulton Park circuit left the Redhill, Surrey-based outfit slightly deflated, having shown so much promise prior to its second season the competitive championship.
Unlike the last meeting, this weekend will see two one-hour sprints replaced with a single two-hour endurance feature race, which will require drivers to take a more conservative and consistent approach in order to preserve their Avon tyres.
The pairing of Andrew Jarman and Aston Martin Racing Evolution Academy driver Jody Fannin were on course for a podium finish last time out, before unfortunate contact with the Ferrari 458 Italia of Gary Eastwood and the resultant steering damage prematurely concluded the Eurostar-liveried Aston Martin V12 Vantage GT3’s weekend.
“I’m really looking forward to this weekend at Rockingham, as the longer endurance races allow you to find a rhythm, which will be much different from the frantic sprint action races,” said Fannin. “It was slightly disappointing to finish the Oulton Park weekend with damage, so the aim for this weekend is to get some points on the board and bring the car home in one piece. Traffic will once again be an issue with over half the field being GT4s, but with Rockingham’s wider track, it will make passing easier than at Oulton Park.
“A top six finish will be the aim and we will obviously go for any position higher than that, but we will have to see where we are once we pass the hour mark. It’s been a while since Oulton Park, so I’m really excited to get back in the car and get out on track.”
Derek Johnston and Matt Bell also showed a great turn of pace and had a sniff of a podium at Oulton Park after negotiating their way through the field up to fourth position on the Cheshire circuit’s tight and twisty confines.
Unfortunately, the Steel Decking Aston Martin sustained heavy, weekend-ending chassis damage in a dramatic incident that began with a collision involving RAM Racing’s Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3, but, with a fully refurbished car, the Geordie pairing are relishing the opportunity to score their first championship points of the year.
“The opening round at Oulton Park wasn’t the ideal situation for us, but we’ll be looking to put that behind us and finish inside the top ten this weekend,” said Johnston. “The championship is very competitive this season, which is why I entered it. Getting on the podium is a huge achievement and that is what excites me about this season.
“We tested at Rockingham last week and the Steel Decking Aston Martin V12 Vantage ran faultlessly throughout. We are struggling with qualifying laps at the moment, as it’s hard to generate heat into the new compound tyres over one lap, but the car is excellent in race trim. I know a lot of people aren’t a fan of Rockingham, but I very much am. The aim for this weekend is to finish the race and tick some boxes. I believe that we have a top five finishing car for every round, so hopefully we can tick that box this weekend.”
TF Sport Director, Tom Ferrier, said: “I’m excited for this weekend, as Oulton Park showed that we had a lot of potential. These longer races are better for us in terms of team involvement and it would be lovely to get both cars in the top six, so we will have to see how the Aston Martins perform around the circuit compared to everyone else, as it’s a very abrasive circuit on tyres,. It will be nice to come away with a pair of strong results.”
Qualifying for Round 3 of the Avon Tyres British GT Championship is scheduled to get underway at 15.35 on Saturday (2 May) and precedes the two-hour endurance feature race at 13.25 the following day (Sunday 3 May).
For more information on TF Sport and its racing activities, visit the official www.tfsport.co.uk website, ‘like’ the team’s Facebook page of follow @OfficialTFSport on Twitter.