Optimum Motorsport takes class win in second round of MSA Britcar Endurance Championship at Donington

Optimum Motorsport’s new Ginetta G55 GT3 got off to the perfect start in its first outing in the MSA Britcar Endurance Championship, taking the Group 1 class win. The car also finished second overall behind the invitation Ginetta-run G55 GT3 driven by Ginetta works driver Mike Simpson and ex Le Mans winner and Ginetta Chairman, Lawrence Tomlinson.

Optimum Motorsport lined up on the second row of the grid alongside the works Ginetta after George Murrells snatched 3rdin the closing minutes of qualifying with a lap of 1.06.4 - just 1/10th of a second quicker than the Ginetta-run car. The Mosler of Spaniard Morcillo took pole with a lap time of 1.05.3.

The race, which was delayed by 15 minutes when the Ultima of Macgregor and Smythe crashed on the formation lap, proved to be every bit as close as the qualifying times suggested. Just five seconds separated the two Ginettas after two hours of racing, with the Mosler in third a lap down.

The race truly came alive in the last hour as intermittent rain showers made the Donington circuit notoriously slippery in the wet. Several incidents required the safety car to be deployed and the teams had to make unscheduled tyre changes as track conditions oscillated from wet to dry.

Fortune would favour the Works Ginetta with Mike Simpson taking the chequered flag just ahead of George Murrells in the Optimum Motorsport car. 

‘The one two is a fantastic result for everyone involved in the GT3 project at Ginetta and I am sure a real boost to their spirits as they continue to develop the car,’ said Team Principle, Shaun Goff. ‘And while we are naturally disappointed to have not taken the overall win, the class win and maximum championship points were our goals this weekend so we can’t complain.’

The Donington win takes Optimum Motorsport to the top of the table after the first two rounds of this year’s MSA Britcar Endurance Championship with 68 points. The next round is on 12 May at Snetterton.

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