RAM Racing added more silverware to its 2024 British GT Championship collection in a manic fourth round at Donington Park, as Harry George and Luca Hopkinson scored a second Silver class podium finish for the Mercedes-AMG in GT4.
Repeat downpours made the three-hour race in Derbyshire entirely unpredictable, but Hopkinson and George kept their noses clean to finish fifth overall in GT4 and an impressive third in class. The elements caught out RAM Racing’s BMW M4 GT3 as John Ferguson and Raffaele Marciello salvaged a finish in Pro-Am after a trip to the gravel.
As was the case in the Silverstone 500, rain was forecast to mix up the fourth race of the season at Donington Park. It stayed clear during Saturday’s action thankfully, allowing the BMW and Mercedes-AMG crews to gather vital data ahead of Qualifying later that afternoon.
The GT3 pairing set a combined time good enough for seventh in two highly competitive sessions, but it was a superlative effort of 1m25.029s by reigning Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe champion Marciello that proved crucial in the second part of Qualifying – just 0.056s away from the ultimate best. In GT4, George and former Ginetta Junior Hopkinson were just 0.6s adrift in both sessions to finish a combined eighth overall.
Rain arrived the following morning for race day, and Marciello again showed the BMW’s pace by topping warm-up ahead of the three-hour main event. With the grid forming up on slicks, a sudden downpour on the formation lap resulted in an aborted start so all cars could switch to wets. That also opened the door for strategic innovation, with Ferguson changing strategy early by handing the M4 GT3 over to Marciello for the opening stint.
As the circuit dried out, Marciello eased the #15 car up into the top three when pit stops cycled through, and had more rain arrived sooner the RAM BMW would have been well in the hunt. However, Ferguson and Marciello’s race would be turned on its head when Ferguson was caught in the chaos at Redgate after a sudden downpour turned turn one into a lake and brought a 40-minute halt to proceedings. The incident left Ferguson and Marciello three laps down, but both drivers soldiered on to bring the BMW home 11th in Pro-Am.
In GT4, it was a much brighter story for the #17 Mercedes-AMG of George and Hopkinson, who escaped the dramas unfolding around them to climb the order in an entertaining first hour. Following the red flag disruption, Hopkinson charged up to sixth overall in GT4 and fourth in class, handing over to George, who made further progress in the final hour.
Coupled with consistent pace and further dramas ahead playing into George’s hands, the car jumped another spot in the remaining stint to come home fifth overall and third in the GT4 Silver class, confirming George and Hopkinson’s second class podium finish of the season at the chequered flag.
John Ferguson said: “The car is good, and we’re in the mix where we should be. I think Qualifying was good for both of us and showed that we’ve turned a corner, which is positive. The race should maybe have been red flagged earlier in that weather, but hopefully our luck turns when we get to Spa and we get a good result out there.”
Raffaele Marciello said: “It was a frustrating race. The car was good and in Qualifying we were fast, but unfortunately it is the race where you score the points. We will see how we are at Spa, and hopefully we have more luck and can achieve a better result.”
Harry George said: “It was a wild race. Third place in Silver was a good result for us; I think we could have kept with the guys after the safety car, but a podium is a podium at the end of the day and that’s the main thing. We needed to bring the car home and it’s been reliable, the team has been fantastic all weekend and I can’t really fault anything. I’ve driven Spa in a Caterham before but nothing as fast as this, so I’m looking forward to getting out there for the next round. Bring it on!”
Luca Hopkinson added: “This race was about survival at times. I was just out there trying to keep a good position while I was in the car and see where we could end up. I struggled a bit in Qualifying doing the lap so early, but the car itself has been good this weekend and I’m happy with the race result. I’ve never driven at Spa before, so I’m really looking forward to the next round.”
RAM Racing heads to Europe next when the British GT Championship holds a two-hour race at the legendary Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium across the weekend of 21-23 June.
