British GT: Machitski / Lind on pole at Spa for Round Four

Leo Machitski and Dennis Lind will start Round Four of the Intelligent Money British GT Championship for pole position, the #63 Barwell Motorsport setting a cumulative lap time around Spa-Francorchamps of 4:21.620.

Starting alongside the #63 car for Sunday’s two-hour contest will be the #7 Beechdean AMR Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 driven by Andrew Howard and, substituting for Jonny Adam, Ross Gun. Howard and Gunn set a cumulative time of 4.32.164.

The second row of the grid will consist of the #6 RAM Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 of Ian Loggie and Yelmer Buurman and the#1 Barwell Motorsport Lamborghini of Adam Balon and Sandy Mitchell.

After the heavy rain earlier in the day in the two free practice sessions which caused incidents resulting in the #66 Team Parker Racing Porsche and the #10 Leipert Motorsport Lamborghini not emerging for qualifying, the circuit was dry for the four ten-minute qualifying sessions.

As the opening GT3 session got underway, Mia Flewitt spun at the exit of the bus stop chicane in the #21 Team Rocket RJN McLaren 620S she shares with Euan Hankey but quickly resumed.

Leo Machitski set the early pace with a 2:22.157 in the #63 Lamborghini Huracan. The highly experienced Barwell pilot went quicker again with a 2:22.065 while Richard Neary went second quickest with a 2:22.363 in the #8 Team ABBA Racing Mercedes, the car having sustained significant damage in the first practice session.

Dennis Lind took over the #63 Lamborghini for the second session with Sam Neary getting behind the wheel of the #8 Mercedes. There was disappointment, however, for the 19-year-old as he spun entering turn one with after his lap time for his opening lap was disallowed.

Ross Gunn set a 2:19.321 to put the #7 Beechdean AMR Aston Martin provisionally on the front row of the grid alongside the #63 Lamborghini, a position he retained to the chequered flag.

“We’re absolutely delighted, especially after a disappointing qualifying for that car at Donington’” said Barwell Motorsport team principal Mark Lemmer. “We tested here a month ago so we’re really well prepared and they’ve executed well.

“We’re really well prepared (for the race). The (#7) Aston is too fast for us – we can’t compete with the Aston but they have a penalty. We don’t have the quickest cars in the dry but if we have a wet race, and with the penalties, I think we can have both cars on the podium.”

Will Burns and Gus Burton took pole for the GT4 class in the #57 Century Motorsport BMW M4 GT4 with a cumulative time of 5:06.767. Joining the #57 entry on the front row for the GT4 grid will be #15 Toyota GAZOO Racing UK GR Supra GT4 piloted by John Ferguson and Scott McKenna.

Matt Cowley in the #61 Academy Motorsport Ford Mustang GT4 went quickest in the first session with a 2:33.278 followed by Ashley Marshall in the #90 Balfe Motorsport McLaren 570S GT4 who set a 2:33.656.

Will Moore took over the #61 Mustang and set a 2:34.893 which relegated the Academy Motorsport entry to second after Gus Burton lapped in 2:33.354 in the #57 Century Motorsport BMW M4 GT4.

However, Aston Martin factory driver Darren Turner put in a 2:32.189, the quickest time of the session, to put the #27 Newbridge Motorsport Aston Martin on provisional pole with less than two minutes remaining before Burton put in a 2:32.993 to reclaim pole position for the GT4 class.

The lights go out for Round Four of the 2021 Intelligent Money British GT Championship at 12:35 local time (11:35 BST) on Sunday July 25.