HHC Motorsport have established themselves as the team to beat as the Michelin Ginetta GT4 Supercup prepares for its second meeting of the year at Donington Park this weekend.
The reigning champions got their title defence off to a near-perfect start at the Brands Hatch season opener on Easter Weekend, securing a total of seven podium finishes in the three races, including a one-two-three lockout in Round Two.
Heading the charge was Jamie Orton, who converted pole into his first ever double Ginetta win, though his team-mate Carl Breeze is tied with him at the top of the standings thanks to a hat-trick of second places in Kent.
Will Burns isn’t far behind in the points meanwhile courtesy of a pair of third place finishes, ensuring HHC are the team to watch heading to Leicestershire for Rounds Four, Five and Six.
Their closest challenger in the points at the moment is a surprise name, Reece Somerfield. The privateer shocked the paddock at Brands with a hard-earned maiden win in the final race after two fifth place finishes, results he’ll hope to replicate this time out.
Tom Oliphant returns to the scene of his maiden Supercup win twelve months ago aiming for more victories after getting his season underway with a podium, while his Century Motorsport team-mate Ollie Jackson is looking for progression after notching a solid trio of top eight finishes on his Supercup debut.
Jackson’s fellow former BTCC newcomers Michael Caine and Jack Clarke had a tougher introduction to Supercup life than they expected meanwhile, with Caine only able to turn race three pole position into a sixth place finish, while Clarke toiled to a best of tenth place in the same encounter.
With Clarke having now withdrawn from the series, Caine will be joined on the grid at Donington by another former British GT champion in the shape of Bradley Ellis, who enters the series in Clarke’s place at SV Racing having taken class wins in a Ginetta G55 GT4 in British GT last season.
Ellis joins Mitchell Hale and Stephen Young in the SV camp, who showed strong pace on their debuts, as did another newcomer in Bradley Smith and returning privateer Tom Wrigley – all of whom will be hoping to break into the top six at Donington Park.
In the AM class, Colin White dominated proceedings with a hat-trick of class wins at Brands, with all four of his class rivals, Osamu Kawashima, Chris Ingram, Fraser Robertson and Richard Roberts, also getting onto the podium at Brands, success they’ll want to repeat this weekend.
The second weekend of the season kicks off with qualifying at 11:35 on Saturday, with Round Four following that afternoon at 16:20. Round Five kicks off at 12:15 on Sunday, with Round Six at 16:25, both of which are expected to be televised live on ITV4, online at itv.com/itv4 and via the ITV Player and Sky Go apps.
The championship standings heading into the Donington Park weekend can be seen here.
