Another strong result for Academy Motorsport
It was a mixed weekend for Academy Motorsport at Paul Ricard this weekend (1st – 2nd June). However, difficulties and hard work from the team were swiftly rewarded in race two with a strong result.
Following issues from testing on Friday, Tom Wood and Fiona James were unable to make it onto the circuit for qualifying, despite furious work through the night from the Academy Motorsport team. Given their absence from the session, the pair were forced to start the first race from the back of the 42-car grid.
Despite a better qualifying performance for the shared Will Moore and Matt Cowley machine, the pair were forced to retire some seven laps into the first outing. With one car remaining, all eyes turned to youngster Wood, who astounded those watching to rise from the back of the grid to 12th place overall within very few laps.
As he sat comfortably in fourth place in class, it was soon time for his mandatory pit stop. As he navigated his way around his final lap before pitting, his Aston Martin Vantage was struck by a rival Ginetta, causing a puncture.
Quick work as ever from the Academy Motorsport team saw Wood out of the car, the wheels changed and James climb aboard in record time, ready for the final stint. As James lapped her way towards the chequered flag, an issue appeared, causing her to exit the race just moments before the chequered flag. Upon further inspection the team found the earlier collision had damaged a ball joint, making it impossible to finish the race.
Despite a non-finish, a top 10 class position was a silver lining to the team’s woes in this first race.
Race two saw some success come to the team. After gaining an outstanding 19 places during his stint, Wood and James claimed a 5th place finish. The shared Moore-Cowley machine secured a strong position in class, despite a tough weekend for the pair.
Commenting on the weekend, the team’s Managing Director, Matt Nicoll-Jones, said: “It has been a challenging weekend. We have had a number of issues, but the team has kept fighting hard, and it paid off in race two, with a fifth-place finish for Tom and Fiona.”
It’s a quick trip back to the UK for the team now, as everyone prepares for the third round of the British GT Championship. Taking place at Silverstone next weekend (8th – 9th June), there is a three-hour race awaiting them.
