This live blog will be updated throughout the two hour Avon Tyres British GT Championship race at Rockingham.
15:58
That concludes our live blog coverage for the Avon Tyres British GT Championship at Rockingham. We’ll have a full race report later tonight.
15:57
Matt Nicoll-Jones gives Academy Motorsport their first British GT win.
15:56
Rob Barff wins in the car started by Gary Eastwood, Alexander Sims second for Ecurie Ecosse, Richard Lyons fifth in the AF Corse Ferrari.
15:54
Rob Barff starts his 79th and final lap, 19 seconds in the lead
15:52
Three minutes remaining, Barff’s lead has gone back out to 18 seconds. This has been a cruise for the FF Corse man at the front
15:50
Best battle on track is an all Aston affair with Tom Onslow-Cole trying to keep Jonny Adam in sixth place
15:48
Eight minutes remaining. It’s gone a bit quiet out on track….
15:44
11 minutes remaining , Barff’s lead is still 16 seconds
15:43
It’s a driveshaft failure this time for Oliphant and co.
15:42
Tom Oliphant tries to return to the race in the #42 Century Ginetta, but the cars stops again in the pitlane
15:40
Aaron Scott and Joe Osborne both get past Andy Schulz after he runs wide at Tarzan
15:39
Richard Lyons, Luke Hines, Tom Onslow-Cole and Jonny Adam are all close together for 3rd to 6th
15:35
Barff continues to lead by 16 seconds with 20 minutes to go. What else is going to happen?
15:34
Aaron Scott passes Joe Osborne for 9th. Andy Schulz in 8th in the Horsepower Racing Aston as he and co-driver Paul Bailey search for their first British GT points
15:32
Nicoll-Jones has a 37 second lead over Wylie who returned to the track in 2nd
15:30
Matt Nicoll-Jones now leads GT4 in Academy Motorsport’s Ginetta that Oli Basey-Fisher started
15:29
The team didn’t get the correct amount of fuel into the car in the mid-race stop, so Wylie had to pit once more.
15:28
Ross Wylie pits the #407 Beechdean GT4 entry from the class lead. They appear to be topping up with fuel.
15:27
Devon Modell and Jamie Stanley are scrapping wheel to wheel over third in GT4
15:26
Amid all this – there are 28 minutes to go.
15:25
Barff leads by 18 seconds over Sims, Richard Lyons is another 8.7 in arrears in third.
15:21
Michael Caine has modified his #4 Aston against a GT4 Ginetta. The Ginetta pit, Caine continues
15:19
OK…so Barff’s lead has fallen to 18 seconds for reasons not exactly known
15:16
Joe Osborne and Luke Hines run side by side into Brook. Osborne taking to the grass. They’re teammates at Triple 8. Awkward.
15:16
He has a 38 second lead. How long I wonder does it take to traverse the Rockingham pitlane.
15:15
Rob Barff has a drive through! He is deemed to have driven past a red light at the pit lane exit.
15:14
Despite serving his drive through Ross Wylie has picked up the lead from Oliphant
15:12
Long.
15:12
Richard Lyons is going to have his hands full of the pair of Triple 8 BMWs before.
15:11
Broken suspension on the erstwhile GT4 leading Ginetta.
15:09
No! Oliphant has brought the dominant GT4 car of the race into the pits. Marshals pushing the car away.
15:08
Sims has passed Lyons to take second. But there are 36 seconds between he and leader Barff.
15:08
Ross Wylie will have to come out second place in GT4 to serve a penalty for overtaking under the safety car.
15:06
Sims is up to third, passing Luke Hines at Deene
15:04
Oli Basey-Fisher is the last to pit in the Academy Motorsport Ginetta GT4. Matt Nicoll-Jones will take over the #55
15:03
Alexander Sims picks up two places on the first lap back to green, now 4th in the Ecurie Ecosse BMW
15:02
James Appleby leads the pack across the line and we’re racing once more!
15:01
Oliphant takes the Century Motorsport G55 GT4 back to the race. He too has a massive, massive lead.
15:00
Barff exits the pits with almost a lap’s worth of lead
14:58
Parfitt Jr. also comes in from the GT4 leaad he has held since the green flag.
14:58
Eastwood pits after 41 laps. Rob Barff standing by to take over driving duties.
14:57
Even behind the safety car Eastwood stays out. He has a whole lap of lead over Richard Lyons in the #29 AF Corse Ferrari
14:54
Al Harthy is being held at the end of the pitlane. Why? Who knows?
14:53
Safety Car is out once more, just before the hour mark in this two hour race.
14:52
Al Harthy pits from the lead to hand over to Michael Caine. Eastwood stays out.
14:51
Morten Dons has blown up in the #43 Ginetta G55 Gt4 coming out of turn one
14:50
Parfitt has stayed out as well, Tom Oliphant waiting to take over the car.
14:49
John Gaw is another victim of Kirby, off into the gravel on his out lap.
14:49
Luke Hines is the first man out of the pits from the leaders, Jonny Adam 2nd out in the Beechdean car, Alexander Sims only third
14:48
Eastwood continues for another lap in the lead. Ahmad Al Harthy now is second in the Oman Racing Team Aston
14:46
Attard, Johnston and Howard pit together. Eastwood stays out to lead for FF Corse
14:45
Steve Tandy is the first man to pit for the driver change. James Appleby to take over the Continental GT3.
14:44
The United Autosports Audi is pulled into the garage.
14:43
Eastwood runs onto the grass at Brook, but keeps 3rd ahead of Andrew Howard
14:42
Contact between Patterson and Giddings as the came to take the green flag. Patterson making another unscheduled stop
14:41
We’re racing again, with three minutes until the pit window is opened.
14:40
Parfitt will also lose most of his lead over Jake Gidding’s Aston
14:39
That of course will delete Attard’s 5 second lead, Eastwood allowed to catch the leading Beamers in the FF Corse Ferrari
14:37
The Safety Car looks to be coming out, just 8 minutes until the pit window opens
14:35
The fire tender makes its second appearance of the race to come to the aid of the Lotus.
14:34
Tania Mann has spun the Optimum Motorsport Ginetta G55 GT4 in the gravel at Kirby. The ISSY Racing Lotus has stopped at pit in. Bad lap for GT4 that….
14:33
Dryburgh has climbed back up to 10th place after his mistake at Deene
14:32
Parfitt – quietly – still leads GT4, ten seconds ahead of the Jake Giddings driven Aston
14:31
The already delayed Patterson gets his lap back over Attard who now has a 5.4 second lead over Johnston
14:29
…and Eastwood takes the place. Howard now in danger of being passed by Pasin Lathouras in the AF Corse Ferrari #29
14:27
Gary Eastwood and Andrew Howard have joined battle over third place.
14:27
Liam Griffin in the #5 Oman Racing Team Aston is under investigation the finger of blame being pointed at him for Tandy’s earlier spin.
14:26
Johnston has lost a lot of time on that lap – losing three seconds to to Attard as we cross the 30 minute mark.
14:24
Minshaw brings his Porsche into the pits, the car goes onto it’s dollies to be wheeled into the garage.
14:23
Patterson’s AUDI has returned to the race – a puncture the apparent reason his stop.
14:22
Steve Tandy spins the Bentley out of Brook, Jon Minshaw is running off the pace in the Demon Tweeks backed Trackspeed Porsche
14:22
Mark Patterson, is, of course in an Audi – unless he’s sneakily changed teams
14:21
Adrian Barwick has had another adventure off track, sitting on the grass at Chapman – turn 4
14:20
Mark Patterson slows in the Aston and brings the United Autosports car into the pits
14:19
Dryburgh comes across the line in 15th place.
14:19
The damage to the Ginetta has been repaired, Colin White back in the race.
14:18
Dryburgh and Al Harthy both run wide at Deene as they dispute 4th. Dryburgh has stopped, Al Harthy continues but down in 7th.
14:16
Adrian Barwick has spun the Twisted Team Parker Ginetta G55 GT4 at Deene as GT3 runners put him a lap down
14:16
There is still less than a second between the two leaders, Attard continuing to head Derek Johnston
14:14
Howard has broken away from the battle behind. He has 4.3 secs in hand over 4th placed Dryburgh, who is defending from Al Harthy
14:13
After a slow and slightly wobbly lap White brings the #40 into the pits
14:11
Colin White is slowing in the Ginetta G55 GT3 – looks like damaged rear suspension
14:10
15 minutes in Attard leads Johnston by just under half a second. Howard is 3.6 seconds back in third
14:09
Andrew Howard’s recovery continues, now up to third after passing Phil Dryburgh
14:07
Firth pits the car he shares with Warren Hughes. Quick work by the team and marshals to extinguish the fire
14:06
the left-rear corner of Jody Firth’s Trackspeed Porsche is aflame.
14:05
Patterson loses more ground, falling behind Gary Eastwood’s FF Corse Ferrari and Ahmad Al Harthy’s Oman Racing Team Aston
14:04
After a sluggish opening Andrew Howard has recovered up to fifth after passing Mark Patterson’s Audi
14:03
Parfitt has a hand 10 second lead in GT4 over Jake Giddings in the Beechdean AMR Vantage GT4
14:00
The BMWs in first and second are starting to build a gap – 2.4 ahead of Dryburgh in third for PGF-Kinfaun AMR
13:59
After their lap one adventures Chris Hoy is running 12, Joody Firth in #12 Porsche 19th
13:58
Phil Dryburgh pushes Patterson another place further back, taking third at Deene on lap three
13:57
Rick Parfitt Jr. has converted his GT4 pole position in the early class lead
13:57
Johnston gets by Patterson to take second at the Deene hairpin
13:57
Attard leads lap one from Mark Patterson iin the United Autosports Audi and Derek Johnston third
13:55
Hoy runs wide at Deene in the squueze under braking, the #12 Trackspeed Porsche also runs wide at the hairpin.
13:55
And they’re away!! Attard leads around turn one
13:52
And they’re away on the formation lap. We’ll be racing in about two minutes.
13:52
Team personnel are clearing the grid ready for the formation lap.
13:49
Marco Attard will start on pole aboard the Ecurie Ecosse BMW Z4 GT3, Andrew Howard started the Beechdean Aston from second.
13:45
Cars are out of the pits and coming round to form up a packed grid. Ten minutes before the green flag.
13:35
We’re 20 minutes away from the start of the two hour race for the British GT Championship at Rockingham,
