Driver James Appleby praised the “great progress” made by the Generation Bentley Racing team after the squad took a class top ten away from their Blancpain Endurance Series debut at Silverstone.
For the three hour race Appleby and Steve Tandy – regular co-drivers in the team’s Avon Tyres British GT Championship campaign – were joined by former British GT4 champion Jody Fannin, who got his first laps in the team’s Continental GT3 amid the torrential rain of Saturday morning.
“To get a top ten finish in our debut Blancpain Endurance race was a great achievement for the team,” said Fannin. “I hadn’t driven the car until Saturday morning, so with every lap I was learning more about it. The wet weather meant I only had two laps in the dry before qualifying, where I was in the top ten overall and 4th in class in my session.”
“I started getting to grips with the car during my stint in the race and was one of the fastest cars on track by the end of it. The consistency of the car throughout the stint is testament to the work that’s gone into the development of the Bentley Continental GT3.”
The trio finished 19th overall, ninth in the Pro-Am Cup class. Anchoring the team Appleby was able to move up the order having taken over from Fannin for the final hour. However, and electrical issue late in the race halted his progress up the standings before the end of the race.
Despite this Appleby, who will share the car with Tandy again for this weekend’s British GT event, was in positive mind after the race.
“A 9th in class is a great result for us and shows what a great foundation we have,” he said. “My thanks go to the team, they have worked tirelessly to make sure the car is ready and prepped for this round. Thanks to M-Sport and Bentley too for their continued support and help sorting the issues we have had over the last few weeks.”
