Ecurie Ecosse started their 2013 Avon Tyres British GT Championship in fine form, scoring two strong finishes at the opening rounds at Oulton Park.
The Barwell Motorsport-run BMW Z4 GT3, driven by Oliver Bryant and Marco Attard, ran a good consistent pace in the first race, with Attard handing over to Bryant in eighth position. Bryant was thrown into a thrilling battle for third place, with five cars fighting it out over the final podium position.
Any podium hopes were dashed, however, as an incident with Allan Simonsen’s Ferrari 458 caused Bryant to run off the track. The Ecosse driver then set about making up for lost time, driving his way back up the field to finish in sixth position.
Race two was equally as exciting for the duo, with Bryant spending the majority of his stint battling with Rob Barff’s Ferrari 458 and Joe Osborne’s BMW Z4 GT3. A very impressive in-lap from Bryant and lightning work from the Barwell mechanics saw Attard take over in sixth place.
The race was then neutralised due to a flaming car, with just two laps remaining when the safety car re-entered the pit lane. Attard then pulled off a move that would earn him ‘Mobil 1 Driver of the Weekend’ award, diving past another Ferrari to secure third position.
“What a great result at Oulton Park following two eventful races!” said a jubilant Attard. “Thanks to the Barwell crew who did a great job, our engineers Andy and Adam and the whole Ecurie Ecosse team, not forgetting Olly Bryant who drove two great races and was a huge support to me.”
The sister BMW Z4 GT3, driven by Piers and Ron Johnson, finished in 16th and 17th in the two races respectively, maintaining Ecosse’s 100% finishing record in all events competed since reforming in 2011.
“We’ve been working hard and have made the solid championship start that we deserve.” offered Barwell team principle Mark Lemmer. “Marco, Olly and the team did a fantastic job and we’re now looking forward to the longer races.”
