15 April 2016

For TF Sport, laying solid foundations for a Pirelli British GT Championship title push is the priority in the opening round of the season on the Brands Hatch Grand Prix circuit (15-17 April).

TF Sport was the team to beat in the concluding parts of the 2015 British GT season. Podium finishes preceded a race win in the final round and the Redhill-based outfit then embarked on a winter-long tour of British and European racetracks, with a view of extracting even more speed from its Aston Martin V12 Vantages and their 2016 updates.

Reports from the tests have been overwhelmingly positive, so there’s a great deal of hope and expectation, particularly as TF Sport now has two British GT Champions – Jonny Adam and Jon Barnes – within its ranks, alongside rapid gentleman racers, Derek Johnston and Mark Farmer.

Reigning British GT title-winner, Adam, said: “Pre-season testing has been good and we recently completed four solid days in Valencia, where the weather was absolutely perfect for getting bedded back in to the cars, learning about Derek’s (Johnston) driving style and connecting with TF Sport and my race engineer. That was followed by two days at Silverstone and Rockingham and the fact that a few British GT cars were present means those outings were quite representative of where we are on pace. We have found that the Aston Martin V12 Vantage GT3 has got stronger everyday and is now in a window where it’s there or thereabouts.

“Brands Hatch is a good circuit for me and the Aston Martin, as I’ve been on pole there for the past two years and on the front row for four seasons. Of course, it’s the first day back at school for everybody and there are a lot of unknowns; there are new cars, drivers have moved teams and it’s a very busy grid, but you don’t have to win every race to take a shot at the title and a nice solid start to the year, perhaps on the podium or somewhere in the top five, would be a perfect start.”

Johnston added: “It has been a long winter and I was a little rusty when we began testing, but it all came together in the end. My biggest challenge has been adapting to Jonny’s (Adam) driving style and this was pretty difficult on the circuits I’m familiar with. However, having blown the cobwebs away, I now know how to adapt and it’s just a case of applying that to the Brands Hatch Grand Prix circuit.

“TF Sport has really embraced the success we had at the end of 2015 and we’re actually starting this season in a better place. Jonny’s arrival has inspired the team and me personally and we’re definitely more than capable of a top five result. Having said that, it’s the Round 1 of the British GT Championship and anything and everything can happen. I’m positive, yet cautious and the priority is to be there at the end.”

Barnes said: “We’ve had good pace throughout testing, but it has just got better and better. The outing in Valencia was very good and the final pre-season tests at Silverstone and Rockingham were all about getting the most out of the cars in preparation for the opening round at Brands Hatch, and we were left feeling comfortable, happy and confident. Both Mark (Farmer) and I have integrated well with TF Sport and we know we’re close to the ultimate pace, having had a chance to put a stopwatch on other cars and swap information with rival teams.

“As a result, I’m really looking forward to Brands Hatch and I hoping we can be somewhere inside the top five. However, there are a lot of unknowns and a lot can happen in a two-hour race, so the main objective will be to finish inside the top ten places and get some good points on the board. That will give us a good base to progress throughout the rest of the year.”

Farmer added: “For me, it’s really simple. We really struggled last season with absolutely no experience of the Aston Martin, but jumping into TF Sport’s car was a real eye-opener and we carried on improving during very productive winter tests. I’ll be massively disappointed if we’re not in the top five, but British GT is all about consistency and accumulating points, and we’re focused and well prepared for what’s to come.”

For TF Sport, laying solid foundations for a Pirelli British GT Championship title push is the priority in the opening round of the season on the Brands Hatch Grand Prix circuit (15-17 April).

TF Sport was the team to beat in the concluding parts of the 2015 British GT season. Podium finishes preceded a race win in the final round and the Redhill-based outfit then embarked on a winter-long tour of British and European racetracks, with a view of extracting even more speed from its Aston Martin V12 Vantages and their 2016 updates.

Reports from the tests have been overwhelmingly positive, so there’s a great deal of hope and expectation, particularly as TF Sport now has two British GT Champions – Jonny Adam and Jon Barnes – within its ranks, alongside rapid gentleman racers, Derek Johnston and Mark Farmer.  

Reigning British GT title-winner, Adam, said: “Pre-season testing has been good and we recently completed four solid days in Valencia, where the weather was absolutely perfect for getting bedded back in to the cars, learning about Derek’s (Johnston) driving style and connecting with TF Sport and my race engineer.  That was followed by two days at Silverstone and Rockingham and the fact that a few British GT cars were present means those outings were quite representative of where we are on pace. We have found that the Aston Martin V12 Vantage GT3 has got stronger everyday and is now in a window where it’s there or thereabouts.

“Brands Hatch is a good circuit for me and the Aston Martin, as I’ve been on pole there for the past two years and on the front row for four seasons. Of course, it’s the first day back at school for everybody and there are a lot of unknowns; there are new cars, drivers have moved teams and it’s a very busy grid, but you don’t have to win every race to take a shot at the title and a nice solid start to the year, perhaps on the podium or somewhere in the top five, would be a perfect start.”

Johnston added: “It has been a long winter and I was a little rusty when we began testing, but it all came together in the end. My biggest challenge has been adapting to Jonny’s (Adam) driving style and this was pretty difficult on the circuits I’m familiar with. However, having blown the cobwebs away, I now know how to adapt and it’s just a case of applying that to the Brands Hatch Grand Prix circuit.

“TF Sport has really embraced the success we had at the end of 2015 and we’re actually starting this season in a better place. Jonny’s arrival has inspired the team and me personally and we’re definitely more than capable of a top five result. Having said that, it’s the Round 1 of the British GT Championship and anything and everything can happen. I’m positive, yet cautious and the priority is to be there at the end.”

Barnes said: “We’ve had good pace throughout testing, but it has just got better and better. The outing in Valencia was very good and the final pre-season tests at Silverstone and Rockingham were all about getting the most out of the cars in preparation for the opening round at Brands Hatch, and we were left feeling comfortable, happy and confident. Both Mark (Farmer) and I have integrated well with TF Sport and we know we’re close to the ultimate pace, having had a chance to put a stopwatch on other cars and swap information with rival teams.

“As a result, I’m really looking forward to Brands Hatch and I hoping we can be somewhere inside the top five. However, there are a lot of unknowns and a lot can happen in a two-hour race, so the main objective will be to finish inside the top ten places and get some good points on the board. That will give us a good base to progress throughout the rest of the year.”

Farmer added: “For me, it’s really simple. We really struggled last season with absolutely no experience of the Aston Martin, but jumping into TF Sport’s car was a real eye-opener and we carried on improving during very productive winter tests. I’ll be massively disappointed if we’re not in the top five, but British GT is all about consistency and accumulating points, and we’re focused and well prepared for what’s to come.”