It’s all change at the top of the 2015 Michelin Ginetta GT4 Supercup standings as the series prepares for its annual trip to Scotland this weekend and the unique Knockhill circuit, with Tom Oliphant storming to the top of the championship thanks to four wins in the last six races.
Oliphant had been 82 points adrift of the series lead after Oulton Park in June, with early season dominance by HHC Motorsport putting their men Carl Breeze and Jamie Orton on top, but a couple of sensational weekends for Oliphant and Century Motorsport have put them in the driving seat.
At Croft and Snetterton, two poles, four wins, one second, one third and four fastest laps accrued Oliphant a total of 202 points compared to 95 for Breeze and 144 for Orton, giving him a nine point advantage with ten races to go – a lead he wants to extend this weekend.
For Breeze, broken differentials at Croft and a power loss at Snetterton that led to contact from team-mate Will Burns have been a blow to his challenge, but he’ll return to the scene of a dominant double win twelve months ago confident of fighting back towards the top of the standings.
Orton retained second in the standings meanwhile thanks to a pair of second place finishes in Norfolk, results that make it eleven visits to the podium so far this campaign – with more top three’s the target at a circuit he hasn’t previously finished on the podium at in the Supercup.
For the aforementioned Burns, the Snetterton weekend was a tough one despite clear pace that secured him second on the grid and a new race lap record. He’ll be aiming to bounce back in style in Scotland, having taken a double podium finish there twelve months ago.
Michael Caine featured on the podium in Norfolk with third place in race two, and he should be in contention again this weekend, while fellow podium finisher Bradley Smith will unfortunately be a notable absentee due to business commitments.
Tom Wrigley secured an emotional maiden win in the final race at Snetterton, and he has more podiums in his sights this weekend, as does early season race-winner Reece Somerfield and Croft podium finisher Ollie Jackson.
In the AM class, Colin White regained the class lead despite not winning a race at Snetterton – the first time this season he’s failed to take a class win in a weekend that he’s been present – with Will Moore taking a double on debut and Ade Barwick scoring his second win of the campaign.
With Moore and Barwick back in British GT action at Snetterton, White’s main competition will come from Osamu Kawashima, who sits ten points behind him in the class standings, and Fraser Robertson – with other class regular Chris Ingram electing to skip the meeting.
The various absentees means we’re looking at an eleven car grid for the weekend, the lowest of the season so far, but with the three championship contenders looking to stamp their authority on proceedings and five other drivers capable of challenging for the podium places, we’re still set for another intriguing weekend of Supercup action.
2015 Michelin Ginetta GT4 Supercup ‘Pro’ Standings (After Rd. 17 of 27):
- Tom Oliphant – 457 points
- Jamie Orton – 448
- Carl Breeze – 432
- Michael Caine – 363
- Reece Somerfield – 298
- Will Burns – 294
- Tom Wrigley – 274
- Ollie Jackson – 254
AM Standings:
- Colin White – 436 points
- Osamu Kawashima – 426
- Fraser Robertson – 329
- Chris Ingram – 230
- Ade Barwick – 154
- Will Moore – 87
Full championship standings ahead of the weekend can be found here.
