The 2013 Michelin Ginetta GT Supercup has burst into life with qualifying for the opening rounds of the season at Brands Hatch.
On a bitterly cold morning in Kent, it was second year driver Jamie Orton who took pole position, the Total Control Racing driver setting a best time of 47.198s. Orton will be joined on the front row for the first of the weekend’s three Supercup races by Ginetta Junior graduate Andrew Watson, the Irishman continuing his strong pace from Friday practice to end up just 0.072s off Orton’s best.
Third fastest was the first of the JHR Developments trio Rob Boston, the KX Akademy member narrowly missing out on the front row, finishing just 0.036s slower than Watson. Fourth went the way of reigning champion Carl Breeze, who overcame his lack of pre-season testing to set a best time of 47.417s.
Row three will be made up by two series newcomers, Ginetta Junior graduate Pepe Massot set to line up alongside Academy Motorsport’s Matt Nicoll-Jones, with two of the early championship favourites, Tom Ingram and Mark Davies, left frustrated on row four.
The top ten was rounded off by James Birch and Fergus Walkinshaw for Century Motorsport and FW Motorsport respectively, while taking an impressive eleventh fastest after signing a late one-weekend deal to join the championship was Rob Smith.
Carl Boardley took twelfth as the penultimate G55, only 1.393s off pole, with the G50 class pole going the way of Sean Huyton. The reigning Ginetta Challenge champion set a best time of 49.085s, 0.325s quicker than his closest rival, privateer Reece Somerfield.
Priocept Racing’s Dan Norris-Jones took third in class, with Simon Green ending as the fourth and final G50 after only completing six early laps before heading back to the paddock. Seventeenth and last on the grid will be the G55 of Marcus Hoggarth, the JHR Developments driver having only joined the session late on, with problems causing him to lap nineteen seconds off the pace.
You can view the full Supercup qualifying results here: http://tsl-timing.com/?loc=major&season=2013&series=BTCC&event=races&source=ed_TOCA&eventid=131303&table=131303qu1g50&tabletype=gif
The opening Supercup race takes place this afternoon at 14.15, with the finishing result of that race forming the grid for the second race, also this afternoon at 16.25.
