MOTORSPORT FORDS
Updates on how the racing Blue Ovals are getting on.
It’s been a challenging season for the Academy Motorsport team and their Mustang GT car. At the Silverstone 500 in June, the team showed their versatility and speed of execution when a transmission issue between the practice session and qualifying was solved ingeniously and without drama.
Having first thought they would have to completely miss the first GT4 qualifying session, the car made it back on track before the end of qualifying, though there weren’t quite enough seconds in hand to record a time. This meant that the Mustang had to start at the back of the grid for the 85-lap three-hour race.
We have previously explained how British GT runs to a balance-of-performance (BoP) formula to equalise overall performance, but in addition to BoP, Silver Cup entries like Academy’s Mustang also incur an extended minimum pit-stop time and additional ballast. Those factors, combined with any previous race success penalties and three pit-stops have traditionally favoured pro-am crews at the 500.
The BoP variables of weight, ride-height and air-intake restriction can be fine-tuned at any time by the SRO sanctioning body, just as they were for Academy prior to Silverstone. Teams don’t expect any favours from BoP tweaking, and despite suffering throughout the weekend with the revised BoP parameters, Academy secured some good points with a seventh-place finish among an extremely competitive field. Remarkably, there were no safety car periods over the entire three-hour race.
After the race, team principal Matt NicollJones, said: “It’s been a tough weekend. Our race was perfect. Both Matt and Will drove superbly, and the team executed three faultless pit stops. Matt and Will were smart and used their racecraft the best way they could. The whole team have been fantastic all weekend. We’re pleased with the result, as we didn’t expect it given the issues we faced, but it’s extremely frustrating for us now with the BoP the way it is.”
If Silverstone was bitter-sweet, the next round at Donington was to prove even harder to swallow. Some relief from the burdensome Silverstone BoP, combined with the Mustang’s favourable brake and tyre degradation characteristics at Donington, gave the team renewed confidence. Both drivers clocked up some extremely competitive qualifying lap
times, with Matt Cowley posting the fastest in his session. On combined times, the Mustang lined up sixth on the grid for the two-hour race on Sunday afternoon.
Will Moore demonstrated his skills with a great opening lap, rising to third place. What followed was not the competitive close racing that we have come to expect from the British GT Championship. This time it was all far too close; three collision-induced caution and safety car periods followed one after another.
Moore briefly held second place before the Gazoo Racing Supra tagged the Rocket RJN McLaren 570S, wiping out the innocent Mustang, which retired from a promising podium position as result of the impact.
By lap 19, the original 23-car field was down to just 13 runners, and all of the GT4 leaders (Audi, two McLarens, Ginetta, Toyota, Aston Martin and Mustang) had been removed from the running by collisions.
Matt Nicoll-Jones’s usual composure was strained after the Donington race. “It’s incredibly frustrating. We have done everything right this year, the whole team work extremely hard between and during every round, and we definitely had the pace at Donington. Yes, we still struggled with the BoP at Donington, but it was certainly better than it had been at Silverstone. To know we had the pace to finish in a very competitive position, but to be taken out in someone else’s accident and to not even have a chance is extremely infuriating,” he said.
So where does this leave the Mustang? The season is only one-third through, and the championship rewards consistency. The car, the team and drivers have all shown undeniable consistency in their respective areas. With continued perseverance, that will surely be rewarded. Currently standing in fifth place in the Silver Cup points table, there are plenty of points available to be won to put the team where they deserve.
2021 BRITISH GT CHAMPIONSHIP CALENDAR
8 Aug: Snetterton – two one-hour races 12 Sept: Oulton Park – two one-hour races 17 Oct: Donington Park GP – two hours
RACE RESULTS
Silverstone 500: 7th in GT4 class (20th overall) Donington Park: DNF