British GT Championship – Strong Result at Silverstone 500

Academy Motorsport impressed once again, during the third round of the British GT Championship. As part of a superlative 42-car grid for the Silverstone 500 race, the team raced its way from the back of the grid to a fifth-place finish.

As both cars qualified towards the back of the GT4 class, there was a lot of work to do during the race, but with three hours of action to come there was plenty of time to make amends.

With the formation lap complete, the race launched into action, as all 42 cars thundered around the first corner. Sadly, it was short lived for Academy Motorsport’s Ben Hurst, when he was fired into a spin by another car, which saw him land in the gravel trap after just three laps.

Although the Aston Martin was stranded for a number of laps, both Ben and the car were eventually recovered and returned to the pits. A three-hour race gave the team time to work their magic, and despite being a number of laps down, the shared Aston Martin Vantage returned to the track with less than two hours to go, this time with Micah Stanley at the wheel.

With a number of laps under their belts regardless of the team’s herculean efforts, Hurst and Stanley were forced to retire with a mechanical fault shortly afterwards. The laps completed meant the team was able to collect valuable data, despite a shorter than expected outing.

It was a phenomenal performance for the sister machine as Alex Toth-Jones and Will Moore shared a successful race towards the chequered flag. When a first corner incident forced Moore to pit immediately, superb work from the team together with a change in strategy meant the pair were back on track in record time.

A fearless act from both drivers paired with a series of speedy lap times, ensured they fought their way to a strong fifth place finish.

Speaking on behalf of the team, Managing Director Matt Nicoll-Jones said: “It was great to collect another strong fifth place finish today. It’s all about consistency and collecting points, and that’s what we have been doing so far. Alex and Will drove to their absolute limits and it really paid off.

“The whole team were outstanding all weekend, I’m so proud of them all. They did a fantastic job to get both cars back on track when they needed to. It proves once again the high level of skill, experience and dedication we have amongst the team.

“Sadly, it was a bitter end to the race for Ben and Micah. Both drivers are very quick and competitive, and it was frustrating the race ended so abruptly for them.”

There is now a two week break for the team, before the next round of the British GT Championship. Donington Park is the scene of the fourth round, during 22nd – 23rd June.