Battling Tilley claims two class podiums in GT Cup at Silverstone
LEICESTER driver Grahame Tilley enjoyed a consistent and rewarding weekend in the GT Cup Championship meeting at Silverstone, writes Peter Scherer.
In his Triple M Nissan Nismo GTR GR3, he qualified fifth overall and third in class for the first sprint race of the weekend.
“I got a fairly quick time early on and then it was just traffic,” said Tilley.
He was up to fourth on the opening lap before demoting John Dhillon’s Lamborghini a lap later, with Ben Dimmack’s Radical his next target.
“I got close to Ben and then onto the Wellington Straight I took too much kerb and spun,” said Tilley.
His recovery left him in seventh, which became fifth on lap nine, when he ousted Lucky Khera’s Ferrari. A lap later, however, he was back to sixth when Paul Bailey’s Brabham, recovering from a first corner incident, came back, leaving
Tilley to settle for sixth overall and fourth in class.
It was another chaotic first corner in race two and Tilley came away with damage after a touch with Khera when Dhillon forced them wide and wiped out the Nissan dive plains on the front wings.
”It seriously affected the car’s handling and aero,” said Tilley.
The safety car was out for three laps and, from the green flag, Tilley was initially fifth behind Dimmack.
“My radio was playing up and I misheard a call, so came in for my stop a lap early under the safety car, had to go out again and come back later,” explained Tilley.
With the stops completed, co-driver Will Tregurtha was in third.
“Although we had handling problems, Will just adjusted his technique,” said Tilley after they claimed third overall at the flag and second in class.
The first of Sunday’s races was reduced after a restart following a first lap shunt.
Into fourth from the start, Tilley had to fend off Laurent Meeus’ Ferrari for the entire race to hold his place, but towards the end they had both closed on third placed Dhillon. However, fourth overall was still enough for a second class podium of the weekend in third place.
The second pitstop race and final race of the weekend started with Tilley on the back of an early four-car break.
He was chasing Dhillon until he exchanged places with Dimmack, but despite getting close to following him through on a number of occasions, Tilley was still in fourth at the stops.
“I got close when he kept going wide and nearly hit him once, but he was still so quick in a straight line,” he said.
Pitting from third, Tregurtha took over and rejoined fourth, trying to chase down Jamie Stanley in the Meeus Ferrari.
“He had the pace on me and I had very little grip at the end,” said Tilley.
The gap came down considerably, but it was fourth place both overall and in class.
The next round of the GT Cup Championship is at Donington Park on September 18/19.