Trackspeed’s involvement in the Avon Tyres British GT Championship Silverstone 500 proved to be brief, but action packed as all three of the team’s Porsche 997 GT3 R retired inside the first hour of the race ending their season starting winning run in dramatic fashion.
Despite having missed out on pole position David Ashburn took the lead on the opening lap from poleman Marco Attard, though the Ecurie Ecosse driver was able to fight back into the lead before the completion of the first circuit of the 3.66mile lap.
Ashburn gradually slide back down the order, with Jon Minshaw taking over as the best placed of the Trackspeed drivers with the Demon Tweeks liveried #33 running in third when the safety car came out after just five laps after a three car accident in the Arena section.
The team took the opportunity to pit Minshaw, Phil Keen climbing aboard as both Ashburn and Gregor Fisken stayed aboard their respective charges, rising up the order as teams took to the pits.
Once the race restarted Keen was second in line of those of that had stopped under the safety car, tucked up behind Rob Barff’s FF Corse Ferrari as they progressed up the order in tandem. With Keen unsighted behind the Ferrari the pair came upon a Fisken slowing with a puncture. Barff jinked right, leaving Keen with no way to avoid contact that would put both be and Fisken out of the race with heavy damage.
The safety car’s return to action to enable clear-up of the crash gave David Ashburn the perfect chance to hand the championship leading #31 over to Nick Tandy. However as he came round Silverstone’s curving pitlane search for the speed limiter he crashed into the barriers, ripping the left-rear wheel from the car, leaving it out of the race in bizarre circumstances.
The DNF dropped Ashburn and Tandy down to third in the championship, the points lead now taken by Attard and co-driver Olly Bryant who took maximum points from the Silverstone weekend.
