A podium result was cruelly snatched from Alex Reed’s grasp in Round 9 of the 2017 British GT Championship at Brands Hatch (5-6 August) when his Lanan Racing Ginetta was struck down by a steering issue while in hot pursuit of the lead.
A zero score when the title-rivalling HHC Motorsport squad took points for third means Reed and teammate David Pittard have a mathematical chance of being crowned 2017 GT4 Champions, but they will need something extraordinary to happen in the final round of the season at Donington Park (23-24 September) if they are to take top honours.
Saturday (5 August) was peppered with thunder storms and heavy rain showers, but there were enough gaps in the weather for Reed to bed back in to the undulating Brands Hatch Grand Prix circuit after 18 months away.
Reed, aged 19, steadily ramped up the pace while testing an array of setups in first practice, but very few changes were made to the #51 Ginetta G55 in the end and, satisfied with their balance, the West Sussex resident and Pittard were comfortable enough to show their hand in FP2.
The Lanan Racing duo made good use of fresh Pirellis to set the second fastest time, less than a tenth off the pacesetting HHC Motorsport team, but the rains came for qualifying and Pittard picked his way around the puddles to end the GT4-Am segment a little further down the timesheets in fifth.
Fortunately for Reed, showers were replaced by sun and the Brands Hatch asphalt was sufficiently dry for slick rubber in GT4-Pro qualifying.
The Horsham racer was in among a field of hugely experienced drivers, but deployed his innate speed to go third fastest on a 1m37.899s and fourth on the aggregate grid, two places ahead of HHC Motorsport with a very real shot at overturning the rival Ginetta squad’s 2.5-point advantage in the standings.
In complete contrast to Saturday, the weather was set fair for the duration of Sunday (6 August) and Round 9 of the 2017 British GT Championship got underway in perfect conditions, with Brands Hatch bathed in glorious August sunshine.
Pittard took the start and immediately found himself embroiled in an entertaining three-way Ginetta tussle involving Century Motorsport’s Niall Murray and HHC’s Stuart Middleton for third, fourth and fifth in class.
Murray stuck his elbows out to maintain track position on the opening lap, but Pittard cut underneath the Century driver on the second run through Clearways, only for his opponents to retaliate and demote him to fifth further around the Indy circuit.
Aware that it was imperative for Lanan Racing to finish ahead of HHC Motorsport to take the fight for GT4 title honours down to the wire at Donington Park, Pittard took advantage of an error from Murray to overhaul his two rivals for third position.
The pressure never let up, but Pittard was consistently faster than those around him and only Sandy Mitchell stood between him and another victory when the Academy Motorsport Aston Martin of Will Moore slowed to a halt.
By this time, Mitchell was some six seconds up the road, but a Safety Car intervention negated his advantage and gave Pittard a chance to catch his breath before going in pursuit of the win.
Tragically, a steering arm failure forced Lanan Racing to pull the #51 car into the pits. The problem was diagnosed quickly and the team worked frantically to repair the Ginetta and return it to the track with Reed in the driving seat, albeit several laps down on the main pack.
All Reed could do was circulate and pick up any scraps as others faltered, and he drove impeccably in the 1m34s while the majority languished in the 1m35s, to be classified 17th at the chequered flag.
With HHC Motorsport taking the finish in third, the title fight goes on to the grand finale at Donington Park and an exasperated Reed said: “We were always in contention for a podium and it was looking really good for us from the outset of the weekend. We tried our hardest, did everything possible, but Brands Hatch hates me with a passion and something had to get in our way. Every single time I come here, something happens, although I went into the weekend with a positive attitude, wanting the circuit to like me.
“In my stint, I just kept it consistent. Fortunately, HHC Motorsport finished third and that means we still have a mathematical chance of the title, but it’s only if they DNF and we finish first or second at Donington Park. Anything can happen, as today proved.”
