British GT Championship – Final Round – Donington Park

As the 2019 British GT Championship season came to a close at Donington Park this weekend (14th – 15th September), Academy Motorsport ended its season with another top 10 finish. During what was the 300th race for the championship, it was a thrilling end to a difficult season.

The final two-hour battle was almost faultless throughout for the Academy Motorsport team, barring an issue for one of its Aston Martin Vantage GT4 race cars during free practice on Saturday. Despite this, the team steered its way to a strong end of season result.

Unable to qualify on Saturday, the shared car of Alex Toth-Jones and Will Moore was forced to line-up at the very back of the grid. Despite this immediate disadvantage, first stint driver, Toth-Jones, raced his way through the field, passing rivals lap after lap. As the time came for the mandatory pit stop, Toth-Jones found himself exiting the race from first place.

With Moore now onboard, he joined the race, keen to hold onto a top 10 position. With less than 30 minutes remaining, the safety car was forced to intrude on the action, sadly coming out just in front of Moore. Despite impeding the Aston Martin, he held on for a top 10 result, and a strong end to a trying season.

Ben Hurst occupied the opening stint for the sister Aston Martin, immediately progressing from 14th on the grid to 10th place. As he raced his way through the first hour, avoiding other cars as they fell from the circuit, he handed over to team-mate Micah Stanley in a good position.

Stanley’s consistency shone through once again, as he looked set to make it a double top 10 finish for the team. Sadly, he just missed out, but still claimed a competitive 12th place.

Managing Director, Matt Nicoll-Jones, said: “We’re pleased with our results today. It has been a very difficult season for us, but despite that the team has worked faultlessly and tirelessly all year to make sure we got the results.

“Our drivers have been fantastic all year, they always perform to the best of their ability and are great ambassadors for the team. I would also like to thank our team sponsors for their continued support throughout the season, SRS Automotive, Teng Tools and Motorsport Finance, they are an important part of the team.”

Attentions now turn to 2020 for Academy Motorsport. All plans will be announced in due course.