DOGFIGHT FOR THE PODIUM AFTER POLE POSITION START
Saturday 19th and Sunday 20th September 2009
A nail biting end to the season finale of the British GT Championship saw Beechdean’s GT3 DBRS9 battle up the board in a heartstopping race.
In the culmination of a season’s impressive driving, Andrew Howard ensured the Aston lead out in pole position on day one - his performance sparking discussion around the track of the coveted Sunoco Driver of the Weekend Award.
But a weekend of spins, touches and controversy had the team and supporters holding their breathe to the very last lap and beyond.
Race 1
“This was our first ever pole, a daunting prospect in light of the highly tactical rolling start,” said Team manager David Brewer. “Andrew had a faultless stint, leading from the start all the way to the pit stop, and pulling away from the rest of the field closely followed by team’s the sister car – the Ginetta G50 Z.”
“Jamie followed up with some quick laps early on while under heavy pressure from the Jones brothers’ Ascari. As the Aston’s front tyres started to deteriorate, Jamie battled hard to maintain a podium place, but spun and dropped back.
“Things didn’t quite go to plan after a very promising start and the car finished a disappointing 7th,” he added.
Race 2
First out on day two, Jamie Smyth took the start from 7th and did well to hold off the quick Ferraris behind him despite being hed up by the Viper of Aaron Scott for the majority of his stint. After an early driver change due to the slow traffic, Howard quickly settled into an aggressive pursuit of the leaders, quickly becoming involved in a dogfight for 6th place which eventually saw the Viper, now being driven by Craig Wilkins come off the track in a shower of gravel on the exit of paddock hill bend.
The pit stop position shake up meant that with just two laps to go, Howard was gaining an impressive 3 seconds a lap on the Jones Ascari – 6 seconds ahead in 3th place. But a podium place was not to be.
Beechdean Motorsport finishes fourth in class and ends the 2009 season in 8th place in the British GT Championships.
Trackside, the team worked closely with rising star Abbie Eaton, the 17 year old GT4 newcomer on her latest documentary, and few racegoers could miss Beechdean’s media partner EA Games showing off their new launch – Need For Speed Shift, in which the Aston races at Brands.
“This weekend was a great end to the season,” said Howard, “and a great platform for next year.”
To get behind the wheel of one of our famous Astons, David Brewer, Team Manager, Beechdean Motorsport, is available to talk through team and supporter opportunities. Contact him on: 07748 967536
Andrew Parker, Commercial Manager, is pleased to discuss bespoke technical and sponsorship opportunities, on: 07525 903011