RAM Racing came away with a best result of the British GT Championship season for its GT4 pairing at Donington Park last weekend (7/8 September), Harry George and Luca Hopkinson steering the Mercedes-AMG to second place in the Silver class.
A two-hour contest faced the RAM squad in East Midlands, and ended with mixed emotions for its two crews. George and Hopkinson snatched a third Silver class podium for the team’s Mercedes-AMG, but it was an early bath for its BMW M4 GT3 as John Ferguson and Max Hesse retired early on when in a great position.
The team came into the penultimate round of the season with optimism following a strong GT3 Pro-Am showing at Snetterton over the summer, while the Mercedes pairing hoped to replicate their previous Donington performance when they scored a podium finish in the Silver category back in May.
Unpredictable conditions mixed up the pecking order in Saturday’s practice sessions, but drier conditions greeted the field for Qualifying. Ferguson was first to test the 2.49-mile circuit, clocking the eighth-fastest effort in Pro-Am with a strong showing in Q1. GT World Challenge Europe regular Hesse then stepped forward with a mighty effort of 1m25.645s which proved the quickest of the day, bumping the #15 BMW up to fifth on combined times. George and Hopkinson planted themselves fifth and sixth in the Silver category from their respective outings, firmly in contention for silverware once again.
Ferguson started the BMW when the two-hour race commenced on Sunday, and showed no mercy by storming through to third from the rolling start as he escaped contact in a squeeze with Kevin Tse’s Mercedes at Redgate. With the leading Lamborghinis in sight, Ferguson’s charge was blighted abruptly when terminal driveshaft problems forced him to park the BMW inside the opening 10 minutes.
Attention then shifted to the GT4 attack, George taking the wheel of the Mercedes-AMG for what was a fast-paced first stint. He handed the car over to Hopkinson in a solid fifth place in class, and a rapid stop from the RAM mechanics meant the #17 climbed to second-best of the Silver runners heading into the last hour.
With a podium finish in sight, Hopkinson suddenly inherited the class lead after an accident for the Ginetta ahead, causing a lengthy full course yellow period and setting up a tense two-lap dash to the chequered flag.
Hopkinson fought hard to fend off his nearest rivals, but was usurped by both the McLaren of Jack Brown and Erik Evans’ Mustang in the dying moments. As the trio crossed the line in sixth overall in GT4, it was enough to seal a third Silver class podium for RAM Racing – later becoming their best result of the campaign after a post-race penalty for the Optimum McLaren promoted Hopkinson and George back up to second in Silver.
John Ferguson said: “Unfortunately our race ended early because of a driveshaft problem. I’d made one of my best starts in British GT to get up into third, and started to see where we were quicker than the Lamborghinis in the opening laps. It was going to be tough to beat them, but we’ve had a fast car all weekend so who knows? Max has been great this weekend and really helped us push on up the field, and he showed that with the fastest lap in Qualifying.”
Max Hesse: “I think we had the pace to challenge the Lamborghinis, especially if the safety car came out later in the race, so it’s a shame because we had a good car. Saturday was a rollercoaster day! The conditions certainly kept us on our toes. We went from slicks to wets, then back to slicks, and the team did a great job. John did really well, I put the car on pole in my session, so it says we have a fast race car.”
Harry George: “It’s not quite the overall podium that we wanted, but it is our best result of the season, which is a good outcome. Fair play to Luca, he did really well and brought it home, but obviously we’re both a bit gutted as it would have been amazing to come away with that first class win and overall podium. It will come soon, and considering where we were before Sunday with the car, I guess we can take that. Brands Hatch GP is up next. I’ve driven around there and I think Luca will pick it up quickly. I feel I was strong there last time, so an overall podium is the goal.”
Luca Hopkinson: “We drove really well and I’m happy with the result. We were quicker than all of the guys in front and behind us, but then on the last lap I got overtaken by one car and put off-line and then everyone piled through. A GT3 messed me up a little bit too, but we were just unlucky. It’s the worst way to learn a lesson I guess, and the first proper pressure I’ve put on myself, but it was just a busy end to the race. Brands I think we’ll go to with the same mentality and try to fight for that podium again.”
RAM Racing’s British GT season concludes at the Brands Hatch Grand Prix Circuit with one final two-hour contest to be run over the weekend of 28/29 September.
