Graham’s in top gear at Silverstone

STAMFORDHAM’S Matty Graham enjoyed a silverware-laden return to the British GT Championship with a third-place finish in GT4 in the blueriband Silverstone 500 race.

Racing in the series for the first time since 2017, Graham and codriver Ross Wylie delivered an eyecatching performance during the three-hour endurance event at the home of British motor racing in their first race as a driver pairing.

Starting fourth, the first hour of the race saw Wylie at the wheel of Valluga Racing’s Porsche 718 Cayman - the Scotsman’s stint ending with him first in the GT4 order.

The pair’s class lead was surrendered as they made their first driver change - but Graham (right) was able to quickly regain the top spot with searingly quick laps ahead of the lead car pitting for its own driver change.

Wylie took the wheel of the AL-2 Teknik Uk-supported car for a further half-hour before handing back to Graham in the closing stages.

Resuming sixth, pit stops from drivers ahead put the Northumbrian up to third and running at a pace which put the second-placed Century Motorsport BMW within striking distance.

Behind, however, the recovering Steller Motorsport Audi was on a charge.

Having qualified on pole position with a lap more than a second faster than the next best, an early spin had put that car well down the order. Chasing down Graham, Sennan Fielding was up to his bumper with 20 minutes left.

While the 25-year-old defended manfully that proved to be just too long a timeframe with the position surrendered just five minutes from the chequered flag.

A post-race time penalty to the Century car elevated Graham and Wylie back on to the podium and their result could improve further still pending a yet-to-be-heard appeal relating to the series’ first meeting of the year in April.

The result of that could see the duo elevated to second overall and first in the Silver Cup standings.

Graham said: “The fight with Sennan was a good one and I don’t think I have been congratulated as much on a defensive drive where I lost the position!

“I am looking forward to getting back out with Valluga and Ross at Donington later this month.

“For now, though, I am completely focused on this weekend’s Porsche Carrera Cup GB round at Brands Hatch with Redline Racing.”

Graham heads back to the British Touring Car Championship supporting series at the top of the standings after a superb opening weekend at the wheel of a Redline Racing Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car.