Photo: British GT Championship / Jakob Ebrey Photography
Ian Loggie took pole position for Race 1 of the weekend and Round 1 of the 2019 British GT Championship in the #6 RAM Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 that he shares with Callum Macleod, Macleod second quickest in the GT3 Pro session.
Loggie put in a 1:35.061 on his fifth lap to take pole position in the GT3 Am qualifying session, .597 seconds quicker than Ryan Ratcliffe in the #7 team Parker Racing Bentley Continental GT3.
Completing the top three in the first 10-minute session was Sam De Haan in the #69 Barwell Motorsport Lamborghini Huracán GT3, the British driver competing in only his second year of top-level motorsport.
Rick Parfitt Jnr, who struggled to get track time in FP2, went fourth quickest in the #31 JRM Racing Bentley, a result which must have pleased the 2017 GT3 drivers champion after a year away from the sport.
Phil Keen continued to show the pace he displayed in the second practice session by going quickest in the GT3 Pro session in the #72 Barwell Motorsport Huracán GT3 Evo, the Lamborghini factory driver setting a 1:33.541 to take pole position for Monday’s second race, nearly half a second quicker that Callum Macleod in the #6 Mercedes.
Adam Christodoulou made it a 2 – 3 for Mercedes by going third quickest in the #8 Team ABBA Racing entry with a 1:34.171.
The problems that plagued the #22 Balfe Motorsport McLaren 720S GT3 in FP2 continued to frustrate the Lincolnshire-based team with Shaun Balfe lapping in 1:36.845 in the first session and the car not appearing in the GT3 Pro session.
2018 GT3 champion Jonny Adam would have been disappointed with his session, the Aston Martin factory driver only managing tenth quickest with a 1:35.041 in the #47 TF Sport Aston Martin Vantage GT3 he shares with Graham Davidson.
Multimatic Motorsports finished 1 – 2 in the first of the GT4 qualifying sessions, Scott Maxwell topping the time sheets with a 1:43.553 in the #15 Ford Mustang GT4, just .103 seconds quicker than teammate Jade Buford in the sister #19 car. Dean Macdonald will start will from third on the GT4 grid after setting a 1:43.892 in the #57 HHC Motorsport McLaren 570S GT4.
However it was the second GT4 session that showed the true dominance if the Ford Mustang GT4 at the iconic, old-school circuit. Seb Priaulx was immediately on the pace as the #15 car left the pits and the Channel Islands-based young driver was soon at the top of the time sheets with a 1:42.384, beating the previous GT4 lap record of 1:42.394. Priaulx looked as if he had more pace in the Mustang but was content to lead the GT4 grid by 1.146 seconds.
Scott Malvern will start alongside Priaulx for Race 2 after lapping in 1:43.530 in the #66 Team Parker Racing Mercedes.
The lights go out for the first British GT Championship 60-minute race of 2019 at 11:15 on Monday April 20.
