Dramatic engine failure denies Wood and Jonck
SILVERSTONE hosted the latest round of the 2018 British GT Championship at the weekend with Tom Wood once again out in the Academy Motorsport Aston Martin for the blue ribbon three hour British GT endurance race.
With the team in buoyant mood after the successes last time out at Snetterton, Tom Wood and codriver Jan Jonck put in a masterclass in endurance racing only to be denied a possible podium finish with an engine problem.
Wood and Jonck both drove with maturity and kept out of trouble where other competitors faltered around the Northamptonshire race circuit.
The pace of the Aston was such that when the results had been confirmed and verified the team found that they would be lining up second on the GT4 grid. Excitement, relief and anticipation was in abundance after the session and the team was set for what would hopefully be a great result come race day.
With the Aston lining up second on the GT4 grid the pressure was on to perform and to stay out of trouble from the mandatory rolling start. With a plan
to build on the race as the time ticked down, Wood started the race in a commanding fashion and pressure was immediately applied on the GT4 pole position McLaren of Finlay Hutchinson. Going into the Stowe corner, the Academy Motorsport Aston Martins were running 2nd and 3rd.
The first driver change went as smoothly as ever, as the Academy Motorsport team completed the refuelling, changing of the tyres and swopping drivers in the time allocated. Jonck continued to push vigorously and maintained the placing until it was time for a further pit stop and another driver change.
Wood took over for his final stint and once again controlled the Academy Motorsport race with ease. However, the car was beginning to suffer slightly with tyre wear and a loss of braking power and Wood adjusted his driving style to reflect the differences and held the third position in class until it was time to hand over the reigns to Jonck.
The team decided to address the issues with the brakes by fitting a new set of front brake pads in record time. With new tyres, a refreshed Jonck rejoined in a commanding third position in class but disaster struck the team just six minutes from the end of the race.
The engine in the Aston Martin expired in dramatic fashion along the long Hanger Straight. With smoke billowing out of the rear of the car, Jonck pulled over and was forced to retire.
The next rounds are at the end of July at Spa Francorchamps in Belgium.