British GT Championship – Silverstone 10-06-18

Academy Motorsport tackled the Silverstone 500 race during the weekend of 9th-10th June, securing another strong top three result. After three hours of intense racing, the team claimed another podium finish by the narrowest of margins.

The Silverstone 500 race is the flagship event on the British GT Championship calendar. Set at three hours in length, it is the longest race throughout the season, and a challenge for drivers and cars alike.

Following qualifying, it was Tom Wood and Jan Jonck who qualified in second place, ahead of Academy Motorsport Managing Director, Matt Nicoll-Jones and team-mate Will Moore in fourth.

As the race unfolded, both cars held their position at the sharp end of the top 10. Multiple pit stops came and went without issue, and in a race free from safety car intervention, both of the team’s Aston Martin Vantage GT4 cars looked strong for a double podium result.

However, despite an incident free weekend so far, the bad luck gremlin reared its head for Jonck with just six minutes to go, when he was forced to pull out of contention with engine woes. After vacating his sixth place, all eyes turned to Nicoll-Jones in the sister car, as he hunted down Ben Tuck for third place.

As he mirrored the BMW lap after lap, Nicoll-Jones soon spotted the perfect opportunity to sneak passed courtesy of a superb inside line. Seemingly comfortable in third place, Matt looked on course to score the team’s fourth consecutive third place finish.

Entering the final lap of this three hour endurance outing, Matt’s mirrors were soon filled with a Ginetta-shaped silhouette, eager to steal his position. As the pair rounded the final corner of the final tour, Matt was edged wide by the chasing Ginetta, landing him in fourth place as he swept passed the chequered flag. Later deemed to be an unfair manoeuvre, the Ginetta was found to be at fault, allowing Matt and Will to hold onto their third place.

Glancing back over the weekend, Matt said: “It was a good weekend for us, for the most part. Qualifying went very well, both cars were within the top four, and remained in the top half of the top 10 for the majority of the race.

“Three hours was always going to be a tough race for all of us, and the cars, but the whole team handled it superbly. To lose Jan on the final lap was upsetting, but we can move onwards from this. To think we may have lost third place on the final corner was frustrating, but luckily the officials’ decision fell in our favour.”

Academy Motorsport are now making the long trip to Le Mans, ready for the infamous 24 Hour race next weekend (16th-17th June). Supporting the main event, the team will be running four cars in the Aston Martin Festival.