This blog will update throughout the qualifying session for the final round of the Avon Tyres British GT Championship from Donington Park.
Team WFR lead GT4, by 1.3 seconds over the Mazda that ended the session early parked by the side of the track.
Title contenders Joe Osborne and Steve Tandy were 11th, troubled RJN Motorsport only 14th
Top 10 – Reiter, UA #27, Rosso Verde, MTECH, TSpeed #31, Beechdean, Ecurie Ecosse, Motorbase #11, Motorbase #10, UA #24
The checkered flag flies, Simonsen aborts a final lap, Parente is off the pace. Pole for Peter Kox and Reiter Engineering
Alvaro Parente goes second fastest, just 0.075 slower than Kox who aborts his lap into the pits
Still a minute to go – there is time for improvements still….
Kox responds with the overall best through the first sector of the lap
Simonsen halves the deficit to the pole time to 0.376
The RJN Motorsport Nissan pulls out of the session – they are just 13th
Green Flag. Here we go again!
Kox’s blazing lap has cut the number of cars covered by a second at the top to “just” nine
5:44 remaining Reiter have pole by 0.605 over the Rosso Verde Ferrari with the championship leading MTECH car in third
Matt Griffin goes 3rd for MTECH but there’s a red flag for a stopped Chevron on the GP loop!
Peter Kox takes provisional pole for Reiter Engineering with a 1:28.082
Michael Caine has moved him and title hopeful teammate Daniele Perfetti up to 8th for Motorbase
Olly Bryant takes the Ecurie Ecosse BMW up to 5th – top 15 now within a single second!
And the faster drivers are taking back over the majority of cars for a final shot at pole.
10 minutes to go – top 10 – Rosso Verde, UA #27, Reiter, Beechdean, UA #24, TSpeed #31, Scud. Vitt., TSpeed #32, MTECH & Motorbase #10
Or not, new tyres for the Lambo going on, is Kox shooting for pole??
Kox pits satisfied with the pace he’s got out of the car, for Nico Pronk to get back in
John Dhillons been off at the Old Hairpin in the Scuderia Vittoria Ferrari, but hes got going again
Peter Kox jumps up to 3rd in the Reiter Lambo, 0.118 off pole position
The Reiter Engineering Lamborghini leaps to 10th fastest, so that’s the top 12 split by a second now
The Mazda is in the pitlane spewing water
The top 11 are currently split by less than a second with just 0.056 the gap between 1st and 2nd
Questions as to whether the RJN Nissan has a misfire….
It’s generally the slower drivers in the cars now, so expect improvements to be pretty sparse for a while.
Team WFR lead GT4 by sixth tenth from the Jota Mazda
10 mins in the top 10 is Rosso Verde, UA #27, Beechdean, UA #24, T’Speed #31, Scud.Vitt., TSpeed #32, MTECH and the 2 Motorbase cars
The other UA MP4-12C leads the championship challengers in fourth place, but only one place ahead of David Ashburn’s Porsche
Alvaro Parente goes second fastest in the #27 United Autosports McLaren as their team manager is called to race control
Bryant, sharing with Alasdair McCaig (2nd in points) is just 15th fastest at the moment
But Simonsen pits with Stephen Jelley in the #10 Motorbase Porsche and Oliver Bryant in the Ecurie Ecosse BMW
Simonsen takes another 3 thousandths from his best time and then sets another best time through S1
Matt Bell and Jonny Adam take 2nd and 3rd with Aaron Scott 4th for Scuderia Vittoria
Allan Simonsen in the Rosso Verde Ferrari leads thw way after the first flying laps on 1:28.690
Cars are out of the pitlane to start the session.
No points on offer here, just pole position for tomorrow’s 2 hour race at Donington Park
OK, so here we go for the final British GT qualifying session of 2012……
