Mitchell goes up a gear in race for title

Angus ace Sandy Mitchell fired himself straight into the lead of the British GT Championship with a double podium at Oulton Park.

The Lamborghini factory driver from Forfar took a win and a podium in the Cheshire double-header.

And it catapulted the 24-year-old and new team-mate Alex Martin to the top of the driver standings.

It sealed a cracking Easter for the Barwell Motorsport team which won both races with their Lamborghini Huracan GT3 Evo2 machines.

“It’s a fantastic start to the season,” said Mitchell, who set the fastest lap of the opening race before finishing third.

The Barwell sister machine of father and son Rob and Ricky Collard took victory.

Mitchell started from pole position in the second of the hour-long races.

And he rattled off four successive fastest laps to establish a good cushion to the second-placed car.

At the driver changeover the gap was close to seven seconds.

British GT full-season debutant Martin rejoined in second place but made a bold move to take the lead.

It provide decisive as the race was neutralised following barrier damage from another incident.

And it saw Martin eventually take the chequered flag behind the safety car.

Mitchell, the 2020 British GT champion, said: “Alex’s brave move right at the start of his stint was the pivotal point in the race.

“This is Alex’s first full season in British GT, and first driving the Lamborghini.”

The double podium gives the duo an early five-point advantage in the driver standings over their Barwell team-mates.

Mitchell added: “We head to Silverstone for the first three-hour race of the season with a great haul of points, a win and a podium, and leading the championship.

“It’s a great way to start the season.”

ON FORM: Sandy Mitchell took a win and podium in Cheshire.