Tom Oliphant overcame the odds to take a ninth podium finish of the season during the latest rounds of the Michelin Ginetta GT4 Supercup at Rockingham.
Returning to the scene of his Supercup debut twelve months ago, Oliphant’s preparation for the weekend were hampered by an illness that left him unable to take part in free practice two on Friday, and battling to sixth place grid start in qualifying.
Both races were to run in similar fashion for the Century Motorsport racer, as he had to battle back from opening lap contact at Yentwood in each. In race one he ended up sixth at the finish, but race two proved to be his highlight.
Shoved down to seventh into an early safety car period, Oliphant quickly fought his way into the top five after the restart. After dispatching David Pittard for fourth, Oliphant hunted down Carl Breeze in the final podium spot.
Following a close final lap, a great run out of the corner saw him grab the sport by just three hundredths of a second in a dead heat at the flag, a result that consolidates his fifth place in the championship.
“It’s been an up and down weekend,” said Oliphant after race two. “I’ve been very ill and I’m still not 100%, but we’ve just had to keep going.
“The team have done a fantastic job, they gave me a very quick race car and while we didn’t quite hook it up in qualifying, in both races we’ve come on strong in the second half.
“It’s a shame that in both races I got binned on the opening laps, but we were able to come back in both and I’m over the moon to get the podium finish to cap off the weekend.”
