British GT Championship – Donington Park 23-09-18

Academy Motorsport battled its way through the British GT Championship finale at Donington Park last weekend (22nd – 23rd September. With action aplenty from the very first corner, it was a thrilling end to the 2018 season, with championship positions decided after two hours of high speed action.

A solid start to the weekend saw both Aston Martin Vantage GT4 race cars battle at the sharp end during practice, with a strong result in their sights. Joining together for the final time this season, Matt Nicoll-Jones, Will Moore, Jan Jonck and Tom Wood clambered aboard their respective challenger, ready for the final outing.

With a sound qualifying result under their belt, the Academy Motorsport driver quartet lined up on the grid. As the 32 car grid thundered towards Redgate for the first time, the stage was set for two hours of superb action.

Sadly an issue for the shared Nicoll-Jones and Moore machine early on saw their championship hope evaporate. Despite an outside chance of securing the GT4 championship title, Academy Motorsport’s head honcho and team mate Moore were forced to watch from the sidelines as the top four battled for supremacy.

A challenging outing for the sister Aston Martin saw Wood and Jonck navigate their way around Donington Park, lap after lap. As Wood’s local circuit the youngster was keen to impress in front of a home crowd.

After two hours, 67 laps and challenges thrown at them from every direction, including oil on circuit and safety cars, Wood and Jonck took the final chequered flag of the season, securing yet another top 10 finish, to give the Aston Martin Vantage V8 GT4 machine a strong send off.

Commenting on the weekend, Matt Nicoll-Jones said: “It’s a shame Will and I didn’t finish the last race of the season, but to secure fifth place in the championship standings is a great achievement. Jan and Tom drove superbly yet again.

“We have had a strong season. We had new drivers join the team this year and they have performed brilliantly throughout. Behind the scenes the whole team has worked hard and it’s nice to reward everyone with a solid result.

“Our focus is now on 2019 and our brand new Aston Martin race cars. We have a lot of hard work planned during the off-season, and hope to be back better and stronger next season.”

With the recent news that the team has bought two brand new Aston Martin race cars for next season, there is little rest for the Academy Motorsport outfit, with all attentions now on 2019.