Wylie leads British GT title raceposted in GT06 | 05 | 2014
SCOTLAND'S NEW YOUNG sportscar ace, 22-year-old Ross Wylie, eased himself into the lead in the British GT Championship after a storming drive at Rockingham.
Wylie, co-driven by Jake Giddings in the two-hour endurance race, brought their Beechdean Motorsport Aston Martin Vantage (pictured) home 20.511secs behind the GT4 class winning car.
And the duo, who started the race lying second in the series having placed first and fourth in the opening two races over Easter, now lead the 10-race series by 1.5-points.
“To come away from Rockingham leading the championship after only the third race is very pleasing,” Wylie, from Thornhill near Dumfries, said today.
“Jake and I qualified third fastest and he did a great opening stint to hand the Aston over to me in second place. I was in the lead when I had to pit to serve a penalty that the organisers later withdrew, but of course the damage was done.
“The class leader then had an issue promoting me back into the lead but there had been an issue with our fuel rig at the driver change over pit-stop which meant I needed to stop again for a dash of fuel.
“That dropped me to second and with no chance of catching the leader although I did bring the gap down.
“It was probably the toughest race of my career with lots going on, but the reward is to be leading the championship.”
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The Wylie/Giddings Aston began the race from third on the GT4 grid, around the 2.05-mile Rockingham “International Long Circuit”, but was up to second in the opening phase of the two-hour race.
Despite being knocked into a half spin at one-quarter distance, Giddings pitted for the mandatory driver change, fuel and tyres from second — 13secs behind the class leader with 61mins to run — during another Safety Car period.
Wylie resumed second after the pit-stop when the race re-started with 51mins to run.
Ross, who had been catching the leader, had to serve a drive through penalty – later rescinded by the organisers – for an on-track infringement incurred by Giddings earlier in the race but incredibly moments later, the class leader then pitted with a technical issue promoting Wylie into the lead with 42mins left on the clock.
However with 27mins remaining, Wylie was forced to pit, the Beechdean Aston requiring a splash of fuel after an issue with the refuelling system in the earlier pit-stop.
Ross dropped to second in class 37secs behind the leader – a deficit Wylie had impressively reduced by 17secs at the chequered flag.
Wylie faces another long stint behind the wheel of the Beechdean Aston in the next BGT event, a three-hour race at Silverstone on June 1.
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Jim McGill