This live blog will be updated during the final, title deciding, race for the 2012 Avon Tyres British GT Championship from Donington Park.
And the safety car is out at the end of lap three – that’ll be for Johnston’s missing #41 METCH Ferrari
Jason Minshaw – retired – walks up the pitlane after his turn one crash, sarcastically applauds Andrew Howard as the Aston driver pits
GT Cup champion Derek Johnston has spun the MTECH Ferrari from sixth place on lap two and is stopped on track by all reports.
Benji Hetherington leads from pole for Fortec Motorsport in the Merc SLS, Jon Minshaw second after lap one
After an uncertain start the #British GT field is released and Andrew Howard and Jason Minshaw tangle at turn one, lap one
Ryan Hooker and Gary Eastwood win the GTC championship for FF Corse
MTECH finish 10th, Ecurie Ecosse a lap down in 11th
Champions Caine and Perfetti finish 4th, Ashburn and Keen 5th ahead of the Preci-Spark Merc.
Zak Brown and Alvaro Parente take the race win, Peter Kox 2nd in the Reiter Lambo with Bell and Bateman in the second UA McLaren 3rd
Michael Caine and Daniele Perfetti are 2012 British GT Champions!!!
I think Dave Bartrum is holding out the Motorbase pit board!!
bryant back in the race lap down
points as they stand – Motorbase 130.5, Ashburn 127, MTECH 122
Bryant pits to serve his penalty
Caine and Perfetti are suddenly in line to win the championship!!!
The Ecurie Ecosse BMW Z4 is given a 1 minute stop-go penalty!!!
Kox is past Bell for second – he has 4.7 seconds between he and Parente
Aaron Scott limps the Scuderia Vittoria car in from 12th place
Alvaro Parente leads a United Autosports 1-2 from Matt Bell with Peter Koxs Lambo in 3rd
Ecurie Ecosse team manager is summoned to race control. Uh-Oh
Now, will Bryant be punished for that move?
14 minutes to go – another deep breath
Peter Kox takes third on track but neither he now Parente will score championship points…..
points as it stands Ecurie Ecosse 135, Motobases 130.5, David Ashburn 122.5, MTECH 119
Daniele Perfetti and Michael Caine might win the title because of that!
Trying to pass Jones and Griffin Olly Bryant spins Griffin at Goddards!!!!
Peter Kox is 4th, passing Godfrey Jones out of Coppice
Caine has second place off the Jones Merc
Bell takes second from Godfrey Jones to take 2nd and set up a United Autosports 1-2
Peter Kox takes 6th from Olly Bryant
Alvaro Parente take the lead, but who will take the championship
Bell passes Caine for third with a little contact to the front of the Porsche
Parente and Caine sibe by side through Redgate bu Caine repels the move, but Parente takes the place at the Old Hairpin
Oliver Bryant is on Matt Griffin’s bumper for 5th place
Godfrey Jones is escaping from the battle for 2nd
Simonsen says the Rosso verde car went into limp mode.
Alvaro Parente in 3rd has a look as passing Caine at the hairpin
Griffin in 5th is 1,3 seconds clear of Oliver Bryant in 6th
Simonsen pits
Simonsen’s dropped well back with a problem – has that spared Griffin
The leaders go three into Redgate but the order (somehow) remains the same
Safety Car is in with 33 minutes to go
top 10 – Preci-Spark, Mbase #11, UA #24, UA #27, MTECH, Rosso Verde, Ecosse, TSpeed #31, LNT, Reiter
points as they stand – MTECH 131, Motorbase 130.5, Ecurie Ecosse 127.5, Ashburn 113.5, RJN (out) 108.5, United Autosports 106
Safety Car is deployed!! Safety car is deployed!!
griffin forces his way back ahead at Goddards on lap 51 with 38 minutes to go
Questions as to whether there were yellow flags for the Speeworks Corvette there
Griffin runs wide at the Old Hairpin and Allan Simonsen takes the place at McLeans
Simonsen is now just 1.5 down on Griffin in a battle that could decide the title
Godfrey Jones lead is now just 5.2 seconds, Caine 1.1 clear of Bell for 2nd place
Joe Osborne gets a 1 second stop go penalty for too short a pitstop
Allan Simonsen is catching Mat Griffin – if Griffin finishes fifth, Caine and Perfetti only need a 2nd place for the title!
Matt Bell is just 0.8 behind Caine in 3rd place.
Deep breath – still 50 minutes to go
The Jones brothers have a 10 second lead over Michael Caine in the Motorbase Porsche
It’s a broken shock absorber on the Nissan
Points as it stands – MTECH 131, Motorbase 130.5, Ecurie Ecosse 124.5
Mardenborough pits – Godfrey Jones leads!
Jann Mardenborough has a left-rear tyre problem/suspension failure!!!!!!!!!
Godfrey Jones emerges from the pits in second place behind the Nissan
Matt Bell rejoins just behind Michale Caine in the Porsche started by Daniele Perfetti
After leading a lap at the end of the stint David Jones comes into the pits as the Nissan leaves with Jann Mardenborough driving
Bateman also in to hand over to Matt Bell, but they’ll have a longer stop after their Silverstone win
end of lap 38 and Buncombe pits from the lead….
Top three still staying out, and Bateman’s pace has recovered after that one slow lap.
Matt Griffin has done the fastest lap of the race – 1:30.690
Top 3 through for another lap – itll be lap 37
Alasdair McCaig pits for Oliver Bryant to take the BMW over
Bateman falls away to 12 seconds behind Buncombe on lap 35. Traffic? Mistake?
Both Buncombe and Bateman continue on for another lap as does 3rd placed man David Jones
Nico Pronk comes in, a lap down, for poleman Peter Kox to take over
David Ashbrun also in for Phil Keen to take the #31 Porsche over
Pit window opens and Duncan Cameron is the first stopper for Matt Griffin to take over the MTECH ferrari
Top 10 – RJN, #24 UA, Preci=Spark, #11 Mbase, #27 UA, Ecosse, MTECH, LNT, Rosso Verde, Trackspeed #31
3 minutes away from the pit window opening now
The lead gap is now just 5.7 seconds, the leader now into the back of the GT3 class lapping slower traffic
Jones is 17 seconds off the lead, 11 down on Charles Bateman’s McLaren
lap 29, David Jones passes Perfetti for 3rd at Melborne Hairpin
Unsurprisingly Jody Fannin leads GT4 for Team WFR by over 40 seconds
Buncombes lead down to 7.7 seconds now – but Batemans progress is slow with their longer pitstop for winning at Silverstone to come
David Ashburn has fallen back to 10th place behind both Tomlinson and Hector Lester
David Jones takes the fastest lap of the race at 1:31.238
David Jones is a long way clear in 4th, despite losing time with his trip through the gravel earlier
Ashburn has got back ahead of Hector Lester into eighth place, Tomlinson 9th in the Ginetta
Points as they stand – RJN, 146, Motorbase, 126, Ecurie Ecosse, 124.5, MTECH 122, United Autosports 121, Ashburn, 107.5
Lap 19 Ashburn runs wide at the chicane Cameron and Ashburn get past, Ashburn now 9th
Bateman has been able to take a little off the Nissan’s lead, but its still 9.5 seconds
Cameron now looking to relieve David Ashburn of 7th place
Lawrence Tomlinson takes ninth from Hector Lester
Ashburn and McCaig battling over 6th place. Buncombe leads by 9.7 seconds with Bateman gaining
David Jones outbrakes himself at the chicane and bumps through the gravel
Bateman takes second from Perfetti.
Top 10 after 15 minutes, 10 laps: RJN, #11 Mbase, #24 UA, #27 UA, Preci-spark, #31 TSpeed, Ecosse, MTECXH. Rosso verde, LNT
Charles Bateman is all over Perfetti for second place, 7.7 seconds behind Buncombe
Phil Dryburghs in the gravel at McLeans – beached.
Alasdair McCaig is the next man past the Aston after the Jones car also gets by
Ashburn passes Howard at Goddards and David Jones takes both Cameron and McCaig round the outside up to 7th
Zak Brown takes 4th from Andrew Howard at the chicane
Charles Bateman up to 3rd, but they need a minor miracle to take the title
Buncombes lead now over 6 seconds!
Points as they stand – RJN 146, Motorbase 130.5, Ecure Ecosse 121.5
Alasdair McCaig passes Duncan Cameron to move ahead of the ferrari driver in the points and Perfetti takes 2nd!
Buncombe meanwhile has cleared off in a 2.2 second lead over Andrew Howard
Perfetti, still capable of winning the title takes third from Brown at the Melborne Haipin on lap 4
Ashburn falls to 5th, abck behind Brown and Daneile Perfetti
By the Chicane Buncombe leads! Ashburn 2nd and most everyone else 3rd
Howard mugs Ashburn for second at Redgate on L3, Alex Buncombe takes 3rd from way back on the grid
broken steering on the #33 Trackspeed Porsche after the lap one clash
Pronk leads Ashburn after one lap. Andrew Howard 3rd, hector Lester 4th
Jon Minshaw and Ian Stinton make contact at Melbourne Hairpin
David Ashburn is up to third after half a lap. Duncan Cameron back to 9th
And they’re off. Zak Brown takes the lead from second place but tthey’re all round Redgate safe and sound
And it’s just starting to rain….Fun, fun, fun
Cars are away from the grid on the formation lap behind the Juke R safety car
Five minute board is displayed……
Pitlane opens and the cars set out on track
…Nico Pronk and Zak Brown will pilot the front row cars ahead of Hector Lester and Duncan Cameron on row two
It’s almost exclusively the ‘gentlemen’ drivers of the pairing starting the cars so…..
British GT cars are out in the pitlane ready to form up the grid for the final round of the season
We have been told the approximate start time of the race is 3:30pm.
After the pair of big accidents in the FIA GT1 race we’re very delayed at Donington Park.
