James Kellett held off a charging Ollie Chadwick to win the third and final Protyre Motorsport Ginetta GT5 Challenge race by less than three hundredths, completing a perfect weekend at Silverstone.
Kellett led by more than two seconds at the mid-point of the race easing away from a Callum Pointon and a three way fight for third between Stewart Linn, Chadwick and Ryan Hadfield. In a single lap – the third of the 15 minute race Linn fell from third to fifth, losing out to Hadfield at Maggotts and Chadwick at Stowe before re-passing both men through the newer section of track, Hadfield falling to the rear of the group in his haste to find a way back around Linn’s Invisible Glass sponsored car.
Chadwick would not be so easily shaken, demoting Linn from third on the following lap before breaking away in pursuit of Pointon. He had led the race for a matter of corners on the opening lap, rewarded for holding strong around the outside of Copse with the inside line for Maggotts and way past Kellett. He, however, drafted right back by down the Hanger Straight.
Pointon spent much of the race in a lonely second place but could do nothing when Chadwick passed him under braking for Brooklands. He then made up much of the 1.8 seconds of arrears to Kellett on the final lap, pressuring him through the final turns.
Pointon faded to third, 2.6 seconds off the lead with Linn and Hadfield, battling to the flag eight seconds behind Kellett and the man they had exchanged positions with earlier in the race.
Nick Zapoloski led a gaggle of four cars scarcely covered by a second across the line with Jack Minshaw, Matt Palmer and Luca Hirst. Their battle had included Ian Robinson for the first half of the race, but the TCR driver suffered a high speed spin exiting Copse, bumping the barriers to end his weekend. In that respect he joined his namesake James Robinson, who spun out his third place grid slot on the green flag lap.
Rob Keogh won the GRDC+ class, just 0.106 seconds ahead of Ben Hyland.