Familiar pattern to GT5 event
It was less than a week since the opening Ginetta GT5 Challenge event and round two at Donington Park continued many of the same themes. There were again three different winners, there was again an unfortunate failure on frontrunner Will Jenkins’ G40 and there were again shortened races with red flags.
The opener’s first stoppage was not the fault of the drivers, instead troublesome start lights meant some competitors reacted and others did not. But, on the second attempt, a safety car period and second red flag for incidents reduced the contest to five racing laps.
During those, Nat Hodgkiss passed polesitter Harley Haughton – who was later given a false start penalty – on the opening lap, before Hodgkiss was shuffled back to fourth. Instead, Will Orton grabbed the lead and claimed his maiden series win from Jenkins.
Race two was also halted early but this time it was Jenkins who was ahead, having passed Hodgkiss and then Orton on the inside at Redgate on consecutive laps. But the Elite driver’s weekend ended in misery as a rear-right suspension failure sent him spinning out of the lead through the Craner Curves in the finale, causing another red flag. Connor Grady was the winner, Orton and Hodgkiss having tangled at the Old Hairpin.