Greystone GT enjoyed a superb weekend at Spa-Francorchamps with a McLaren Trophy Europe victory and a best-ever result in the ultra-competitive GT4 European Series.
With Ryan James and Oli Webb winners for the third time in McLaren Trophy and Jem Hepworth gaining ‘Top Rookie’ honours in GT4s, the Silverstone-based team come home with plenty to celebrate.
McLaren Trophy Europe
Ryan James and Oli Webb faced increased competition in the 570S Trophy class at Spa following their double-win at the Misano season-opener.
The duo set the pace from the word go in practice and American racer Ryan – competing at Spa for the first time – stormed to pole position in the class for both races; his Race Two pole coming by a staggering 3.5 seconds!
Ryan started the opening race strongly and had built a lead of over seven seconds when a turbo pipe became disconnected and forced him into the pits for a check-over of his McLaren. Oli was further delayed, but a high attrition rate meant the duo were still classified third.
There was no stopping them on Saturday, however as starting driver Oli set the fastest lap to build a 6s advantage by the mid-race driver changes; the pitstop so slick that Ryan emerged from the pits in the overall race lead, ahead of the faster Artura cars.
While that advantage did not last, Ryan managed his tyres and brakes well and was still able to finish sixth outright. It was the third win from four races for the pair and increased their lead in the standings.
In the Artura class Ron Trenka and Duncan Tappy scored a season’s-best sixth-place finish – and fourth in Pro-Am in Race Two; a result that began with a stunning start by professional racer Duncan.
The Surrey driver leapt from ninth on the grid to third within four corners and snatched second with a smart outbraking move at Les Combes a lap later. Taking over the #80 Artura, New Jersey native Ron drove consistently to finish sixth.
They had been on course for a similar result on Saturday as Ron knocked over five seconds off his best laptimes during his opening stint, but were forced to retire when the car’s brakes seized as Duncan was exiting the pits after climbing aboard.
GT4 European Series
Greystone GT – which serves as technical partner to the RAFA Racing Team, scored a landmark result at Spa as Jem Hepworth and Cameron Lawrence took a superb fourth-place finish overall.
A pre-planned strategy to leave American racer Cameron in the McLaren for as long as possible proved inspired as an incident on track led to a Full-Course Yellow period – during which cars are ordered to circulate at slow speed – being declared just after the #81 McLaren Artura GT4 had entered the pitlane for its mandatory driver change.
Having been on the fringes of the top 10 before the pit window opened, #81 – now with British racer Jem aboard – assumed the overall lead, but with more than 40 cars lined up right behind for when the green flags waved with 10 minutes of the hour-long race left.
While Jem was not able to hang on to the lead, some sterling defensive work did result in an excellent fourth-place finish and netted her ‘Top Rookie’ honours.
She and Cameron finished 10th in the Silver class in a first race that was also Safety Car-affected.
There had been joy 24 hours previously as Jon Lancaster topped the Pro-Am division in qualifying in the sister #812 car to take the first class pole position in the series for both Greystone GT and the RAFA Racing Team – the Leeds racer fourth-quickest overall.
This was a deserved result for the team, who had sent a delegation back to Silverstone on Wednesday for a new gearbox after another car crashed into Jon during pre-event testing, and who had to repair the car in double-quick time before Thursday practice.
The same Full-Course Yellows and Safety-Car periods that benefitted Jem and Cameron had the opposite effect on Jon and Rafa Martinez, whose class advantage was wiped out in Race One and resulted in an 17th-place finish in Pro-Am.
They were 17th in Race Two; Jon being left with only three green-flag laps at the end to make up ground against rival cars that had put their Pro driver in first to gain track position.
The GT4 European Series continues at Hockenheim on July 19-21 while the McLaren Trophy resumes one week later – though still in Germany – at the Nurburgring.
Mark McLoughlin, Team Principal, said: “It’s been an excellent weekend with another win in McLaren Trophy Europe for Ryan and Oli and a strong race result for Ron and Duncan too. Duncan’s start was sensational and it’s been great to see how much faster both Ryan and Ron were driving towards the end of the weekend as they gained experience of their cars on this resurfaced Spa track. I’m so pleased to see the Greystone GT-supported RAFA Racing Team get some fantastic results in what is the toughest GT4 series in the world. Jem and Cameron were fortunate with the timing of the Full-Course Yellow, but it’s about how you react to good and bad fortune and Jem defended brilliantly in the late stages and deserved her ‘Top Rookie’ award. For Jon to get our first Pro-Am pole in qualifying again shows that the team’s headed in the right direction.”
