Light drizzle and greasy conditions saw every car start on wet tyres – a decision that would ultimately prove correct despite some teams switching to slicks in the opening laps.
The Tse/Götz side of 2 Seas’ garage had most to lose by lining up on pole, but the duo were exemplary throughout after the German fended off Sandy Mitchell and Sven Müller at the start. He steadily pulled clear thereafter but was also aided by Barwell’s decision to pit its second placed Lamborghini after the sister car began lighting up the timing screens following an early tyre switch.
2 Seas’ other Mercedes-AMG, Abba and Optimum’s #77 McLaren all followed suit just before the drizzle returned. Those that had switched to slicks were then left to struggle on until the pit window opened after 22 minutes or pit again for wets.
Back at the front, Götz had pulled more than seven seconds clear of Müller before pitting, negating the Compensation Time incurred for finishing second in Race 1. And with conditions again improving, 2 Seas switched its leading contender to slicks whilst the majority of GT3 entries opted to remain with wets. It initially allowed Nick Jones – who relieved Müller in Team Parker’s Porsche – to close in before Tse’s up-to-temperature Pirellis gave him the edge. The Hong Kong racer never looked back thereafter.
Jones, meanwhile, was soon fending off the Orange/JMH McLaren which was also on wets but visibly quicker. Orange made the move with 15 minutes remaining and appeared on course for a serene run to second place.
Bridger’s Honda had other ideas, though. The team started 14th but crucially opted against switching to slicks until making the mandatory pitstop. Its NSX rejoined in eighth but was now hunting down cars that had opted to remain on wets. The advantage was immediately obvious as Ip began cutting a swathe through the order before passing Giacomo Petrobelli and Jones on the same lap.
The Honda now ran third but had just six minutes to make up 11 seconds on Orange. Ip arrived on the McLaren’s tail with two laps remaining – not enough as it turned out to work an opening. Indeed, Orange’s steadfast defence in a car with visibly less grip was no less impressive than the charge that brought Bridger into podium contention.
Petrobelli and Jonny Adam added a fourth place to their earlier rostrum, while Morgan Tillbrook’s fast stint helped remedy some of the damage incurred by Optimum stopping for slicks early on. He and Marvin Kirchhöfer completed the top five ahead of Parker’s Porsche, which slid off at Island Bend late in the race, Paddock’s McLaren and Beechdean’s Aston Martin.
Barwell’s early pit visits, as well as #78 making a fourth stop to tighten a loose wheel, limited its Lamborghinis to 10th and 12th. The cars sandwiched 2 Seas’ championship-leading Mercedes-AMG, which endured an equally difficult afternoon but does at least continue to top the drivers’ standings by 10 points.
Unpredictable weather conditions helped 2 Seas’ Kevin Tse and Maximilian Götz dominate British GT’s second race at Oulton Park where Marc Warren and Jack Brown added a third GT4 victory to their season’s tally.
The winning Mercedes-AMG led away from pole, established a sizeable early advantage and correctly took slicks en route to a 47-second victory. Its serene route to the chequered flag was in stark contrast to just about every other GT3 entry, however, in a race characterised by additional pitstops and tyre decisions.
Simon Orange and Marcus Clutton ultimately brought the Orange/JMH McLaren home second overall and only a tenth clear of Bridger’s Silver-Am class-winning Honda, which used its slick tyres to charge through to the podium after Johnny Ip and Luke Garlick started 14th.
GT4 was far more straightforward with Optimum’s McLarens finishing nose to tail in first and second. Warren and Brown came home just ahead of Luca Hopkinson and Harry George, while the Mahiki Lotus shared by Steven Lake and Jack Mitchell finished third despite stopping for slicks at the end of the first formation lap.
Two GT4 wins from as many attempts also netted Optimum British GT’s team of the weekend award.
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