GT Cup Championship at Brands Hatch - 30/04/23
Words and Images by Mitcham Media
A sunny Sunday morning spin round the M25 took us to Brands Hatch Circuit for the first time in 2023. This weekend was the second round of the GT Cup Championship, the first being at Donnington back at the beginning of April.
Not only were we in for an action packed day of GT racing, but the support races included the Miata Trophy Championship, Modified Ford Series and the Radical Cup UK Championship. Not only did this give on track chaos but also an expansive paddock to peruse and immerse ourselves. The Modified Ford Series featured a packed grid with more than 40 cars set to hit the track.
Having only ever seen Radicals static at shows the prospect of getting to see them racing was excellent and made all the more by seeing them being prepped and preened in the paddock.
The GT cars took residence in the main pits on the circuit which we alive with the sounds of air jacks, impact guns and chatter, all the while your nostrils are filled with the smell of high octane fuel and hot brakes.
Watching the GT cars on track at distance it’s very easy to miss the details and intricacies of the interior and exterior. In the paddock you get to see up close carbon work of the body panels and underneath them with huge air ducts channeling cool air to engine intakes and brake cooling ducts. Every car was covered in sharp edges with agressive canards, splitters and huge diffusers.
The vibe in each garage varied with some teams buzzing around making last minute changes, while others featured drivers in a state of total calm.
The track action for the day started with a quick practice session then straight into two 15 minute qualifying sessions for the GT cars.
For near enough the whole session, the Mercedes AMG GT3 of Drivetac held the fastest lap of 1m24.067s until the J&S Racing Audi R8 put in a blinder of a last lap shaving off three tenths of a second.
The National Motorsport Academy Mosler took the GTO class lead with a lap record time in Group, for GTC fastest lap went to a Lamborghini Huracan Super Trofeo and Xavier took the GTH quickest lap in the RAM Racing Mercedes-AMG.
The variety of cars competing compared to the British GT was great to see, with Porsche, Audi, Mercedes and Lamborghini all being represented with the newer GT cars, but also a BMW E46 M3 GTR, Porsche 935 and a Mosler filling the grid.
The GT racing started with a 25 minute sprint race with only the amateur drivers jumping in behind the wheel. The J&S Racing Audi R8 looked to take charge from the start roaring away and keeping the rest of the pack a good distance behind. A stranded car in the gravel meant a safety car had to jump in later on in the race meaning the pack bunched up and the lead the Audi had created was consumed, but with two laps remaining they managed to defend their position and take the win.
More than an hour of Radical racing across two sessions topping and tailing the lunch break gave enough time to watch from all round the track. A highlight was watching the full pack of cars coming away from the start and into Paddock Hill bend. The racing was close with near constant overtakes occasionally broken up with quick features from the safety car.
The last GT race of the day was the 50 minute pitstop race with both pro and amateur drivers having a stint behind the wheel. The rolling start flying into Paddock Hill Bend three cars wide lead to a McLaren 720S skimming across the gravel dragging crash barriers and gravel back onto the track meaning a safety car was needed while the marshals cleared up. Fortunately for the overshooting McLaren there was no mechanical damage to the car meaning they could get back on track and made the most of the safety car to catch the pack.
With the safety car pulling back in to the pit lane we were once again racing, launched straight into battles throughout the pack and all classes. The McLaren who was at the back was taking no prisoners, battling their way through to get within touching distance of his class at the front. Up front was a battle between the Audi R8 and the number 13 McLaren 720S, the Audi wasn’t making it easy for the 720S to even get a hint at an overtaking opportunity till late in the race when he snuck past before building a decent lead and taking the win.
Thank you to Brands Hatch for hosting, and thank you to GT Cup, the teams and drivers for providing an excellent day of racing.
Check out more photos from the day below.
