Matthiesen and Collard back in GT4 title contention
DONINGTON PARK BRITISH GT4 19-20 SEPTEMBER
HHC Mclaren duo Patrik Matthiesen and Jordan Collard have been there or thereabouts in British GT4 this season but hadn’t quite managed a win. That changed in a three-hour contest that underlined how close the class is in 2020.
Brands Hatch winners Matt Cowley and Jordan Albert pipped the Mclaren to pole and Cowley led the early stages, but Matthiesen and Collard knew they just had to keep the Academy Ford Mustang in sight. The 20s success pitstop penalty from Brands was always going to be tough to overcome, but Cowley did his best, ekeing out a 5s lead. And there was a third contender for victory too.
Following the Gt3-induced safety car, TF Sport brought both of its Aston Martin Vantages in at the end of lap one. Patrick Kibble, the fastest of the Aston pilots in qualifying, was the only driver to consistently match Cowley’s and Matthiesen’s pace.
When the rest of the GT4 field made their first stops, Kibble moved to the front, 10s ahead of team-mate Jamie Caroline. Both were soon in for their second mandatory stops, putting Albert and Collard back to the front. Albert pitted just before half distance, having been held up by the returning Warren Hughes in one of the Balfe GT4 Mclarens. The Ford was still ahead of Matthiesen/ Collard after the second stops, but the lead never looked like being enough to make up for the 20s success penalty, due to be served at the final changeover. HHC duly jumped the Mustang at the final stop, despite Albert’s impressive pace after climbing back aboard.
TF’S chances of victory started to slip away when Connor O’brien couldn’t quite match the speed of the chasing duo. When he finally handed back to Kibble with just under half an hour to go, the Aston rejoined 12s behind the Mustang. Kibble chipped away at the gap but it was never going to be enough.
But Albert still had a chance. He was within 2s of Collard during the closing stages, sometimes closer, but the leader withstood the pressure to take a well-earned win.
The race was a disaster for the second HHC Mclaren. Gus Bowers ran third early on, but two pitlane penalties limited him and Chris Wesemael to eighth, meaning they lost their points lead.
Caroline and Dan Vaughan struggled to match the pace of their team-mates, but fourth place means they are now tied at the top of the table with Kibble/o’brien. Just 8.5 points now covers the top five crews, in three different cars.