A promising start to round 6 of the British GT Championship ended in frustration for the Motorbase Performance squad during Saturday’s two hour race on the legendary Spa-Francorchamps circuit in Belgium.
Unexpected fair weather on the Ardennes circuit saw Friday’s (July 8) practice sessions bathed in glorious sunshine but with numerous on track incidents delaying proceedings, Motorbase drivers Ross Wylie and Phil Dryburgh were unable to secure the additional and much needed seat time in the #8 Aston Martin V12 Vantage GT3 with the duo qualifying just outside the top ten in 12th place overall.
Starting from the sixth row on the packed 60 car grid, Dryburgh’s superb opening stint saw the Scot moving up into 8th place overall before a spin resulted in the Vantage dropping back into 11th. A smooth pit-stop and changeover by the Motorbase crew saw Wylie take to the 4.32mile for the final stint placed in 12th, with the 24-year-old holding this position to the chequered flag.
“I have to be honest and say that we’re all feeling a little bit frustrated by this weekend’s results. We came to Spa knowing that it was going to be a tough race with such a busy grid but also with a top six place in our sights so to come away empty-handed is more than a little disappointing.
“Ross and Phil did the best job they could in the given circumstances but having so many incidents in the practice and qualifying sessions really hindered us.
“We’ll pick ourselves up though and look ahead to the two sprint races at Snetterton next month. Hopefully if we can have a good run we can head into the closing rounds in good form and look to finish the season on a high note.”
It was a disappointing end to the Motorbase-run squad’s only overseas visit of the British GT calendar; however the team will now put the experience gained to good use in the closing rounds of the season starting with the double-header event with two, hour-long sprint races at Snetterton on August 6-7.