RJN takes victory as Collards, Meakin and Brown crowned champions at #BattleOfBrands

Rob and Ricky Collard, and Jack Brown and Zac Meakin were crowned 2024 British GT champions at Brands Hatch where Team RJN won for the first time since 2020 thanks to Josh Caygill and Al Buncombe.

 

Their McLaren finished just 0.524s ahead of Alex Martin and Sandy Mitchell who scored maximum points due to RJN’s pre-event driver change but lost the title by five to their Barwell co-drivers who crossed the line sixth but were subsequently classified fifth following Mark Radcliffe and Tom Gamble's drive time penalty. Morgan Tillbrook and Marcus Clutton completed the overall podium in Garage 59’s 720S.

 

But the afternoon also belonged to Optimum’s Brown and Meakin who overturned their 3.5-point deficit in emphatic fashion by claiming a fourth win of the season. Title rivals Jamie Day and Mikey Porter (Forsetti) finished second in class and bagged the Silver crown, while RACE LAB’s Callum Davies and Sai Sanjay scored their best result of the year in third. The outcome provided redemption of sorts for Optimum and Meakin who fell just short last year. Further back, early retirement for Marc Warren and Will Orton effectively handed GT4’s Pro-Am title to Team Parker’s Charles Dawson and Seb Morris.

 

GT3: COLLARDS SAVOUR ULTIMATE FAMILY OUTING

 

There were emotional scenes in parc ferme where Ricky embraced his father Rob after re-writing championship history. Only once, in 2011, had a lad-and-dad partnership won the British GT title, while Collard Snr becomes only the third driver to claim multiple GT3 championships.

 

The pair headed into the finale with a commanding 24.5-point lead but also with the caveat of serving 20 seconds extra in the pits for winning at Donington. Theoretically, that left the door ajar for their team-mates Martin and Mitchell to produce a miraculous turnaround. And although they upheld their end of the bargain by scoring maximum points, Rob’s opening stint and a lengthy Full Course Yellow period during the pitstops prevented Compensation Time from becoming a major factor.

 

An early Safety Car was required to recover Kevin Tse’s 2 Seas Mercedes-AMG from the Paddock Hill gravel trap, but when racing began in anger it was pole-man Caygill who led from Martin who passed Tillbrook’s McLaren on the opening lap.

 

RJN’s entry initially broke clear before Martin and Collard – who benefitted from Tse’s spin before passing both Radcliffe and Tilbrook at Paddock Hill – closed in. They were on the debutant’s tail when Simon Orange crashed at Stirlings and triggered a Full Course Yellow 10 minutes before the pit window was due to open.

 

The FCY remained in place during the stops to ensure no-one gained an unfair advantage during a Safety Car period. It also helped the Collards remain in the top six after serving their additional 20 seconds and then close back in to the cars ahead once the Safety Car was deployed.

 

Ricky resumed in fifth behind Buncombe, Mitchell, Clutton and Sam Neary whilst maintaining a watching brief over Gamble behind. Another long Full Course Yellow and Safety Car period to recover three stricken GT4 cars then also played into his hands as the clock ticked towards the end of hour two.

 

Just 12 minutes remained when the race went green again, and although Gamble was gifted a position, by then it was clear that the Collards would be guaranteed the title by finishing sixth. That subsequently became fifth post-race when Optimum’s McLaren was penalised 37 seconds for Radcliffe failing to complete his minimum driving time.

 

Ahead, Buncombe rebuffed Mitchell’s advances to score his first British GT win since Brands Hatch 2012. That was also with RJN and remains the closest finish in championship history.

 

Mitchell and Martin collected maximum points in second but ultimately fell short of the title. They did, however, contribute to a red letter season for Barwell whose Lamborghinis also won the teams’ championship and finished one-two in the drivers’ standings – the first time that has happened in the GT3 era.

 

The third title contenders, Shaun Balfe and Adam Smalley, were on the back foot after problems in qualifying but their team-mates Tillbrook and Clutton did at least earn some silverware for Garage 59 at the finale by completing the podium. Clutton moved back ahead of Collard during the pitstops and tracked the leaders thereafter to finish 0.7s behind Mitchell.

 

Silver-Am victory and fourth overall went to Abba’s Richard and Sam Neary who enjoyed a trouble-free race after starting seventh. They finished just ahead of Optimum’s subsequently penalised McLaren and Barwell’s championship winners.

 

That penalty also promoted Beechdean AMR’s Andrew Howard and Tom Wood to sixth overall. They finished second in Silver-Am and, thanks to Wood, set a new GT3 lap record.

 

GT4: MEAKIN AND BROWN MAKE NO MISTAKE

 

Meakin and Brown secured the GT4 drivers’ championship in dominant fashion at Brands Hatch after a storming opening stint laid the foundations for their fourth win of the season.

 

Despite falling down to third during a chaotic start, Meakin charged his way back to the front with a statement pass on Forsetti’s rival Aston Martin before pulling clear of his pursuers. Meakin’s pace was such that he was comfortably clear by the time he pitted before a slice of luck around the timing of the second Safety Car period helped Brown establish an insurmountable advantage.

 

They may have missed the overall title, but second place was enough for Porter and Day to secure the GT4 Silver title, while Dawson and Morris celebrated the Pro-Am championship in their Team Parker Racing Mercedes-AMG.

 

All eyes were on the championship rivals from the start, with the #90 McLaren and #7 Aston Martin sharing the front row as the field roared away. A spinning GT3 car at Paddock Hill Bend scattered the pack somewhat, allowing Day to sneak into the lead while Meakin dropped behind Davies’ RACE LAB Artura.

 

Meakin wouldn’t spend long behind, though, and scythed past Davies before engaging in a thrilling fight with Day. Meakin made several overtaking attempts but the Vantage driver’s stern defence rebuffed him. The two cars touched up Hailwoods Hill, with the McLaren picking up some dive plane damage, and then again as they ran side-by-side up to Hawthorns. Meakin eventually found space inside at Surtees where he scraped past to regain top spot at the half-hour mark. He never looked back.

 

His advantage stood at 20 seconds when a long Full Course Yellow period neutralised the race across the pit window. Meakin stopped early for Brown, and when the car rejoined it found itself marginally ahead of the race-leading RJN McLaren GT3, assuring Brown would gain a lap by default when the Safety Car was called for the restart and picked up the overall race leader. Brown cruised thereafter, mindful perhaps of what happened over the final half of 2023 when an all-but nailed-on championship slipped away through no fault of his own.

 

Porter took over from Day and withstood pressure from Sanjay to finish second and seal the Silver title for Forsetti’s crew. Third for Davies and Sanjay was their best result of the year, RACE LAB’s McLaren crossing the line just ahead of the charging RAM Racing Mercedes-AMG shared by Luca Hopkinson and Harry George.

 

Colin White and Tom Holland scored Pro-Am victory for CWS Racing’s Ginetta in fifth overall after a huge late fight. Holland deposed Morris of the class lead in the second stint to score his first class win of the year.

 

DTO’s Ginetta was sixth in the hands of Freddie Tomlinson and Aston Millar despite pitting at the end of lap one with damage, and Century’s #29 BMW of Ian Gough and Tom Wrigley also recovered from an early stop-go for contact to take second in Pro-Am and third in the final class standings.

 

Dawson and Morris, meanwhile, completed the overall top eight, but their eighth class podium finish of the year – allied to the early retirement of Warren and Orton’s Forsetti Aston – confirmed them as Pro-Am champions.

 

An early issue prevented Toyota Gazoo Racing UK’s Supra from challenging for a result but Michael O’Brien did at least highlight what might have been by setting a new GT4 lap record.

 

Elsewhere, the second FCY and resulting Safety Car period was triggered by three potential contenders colliding at Stirlings when Matt Cowley misjudged an attempted pass on Gordie Mutch, clipped the Lotus and sent it into the back of Academy’s Ford driven by Matt Nicoll-Jones. All three were out on the spot.

 

Results are HERE