GT Cup Rounds 5-6 Report

"Ian and I will be joining the GT Cup grid on a more permanent basis this year" - Hetherington

​This past weekend the Valluga team took to Brands Hatch GP circuit for the next rounds of the GT Cup and it certainly did not disappoint. Driven by driver pairing Ian Humphris and Benji Hetherington, an additional GT4 Clubsport joined the original two car line-up for Valluga, creating an even more exciting Saturday of racing down in Kent.

Despite having to use the Indy circuit throughout Friday’s test day, all drivers quickly became re-accustomed to their set-up and some great lap times were secured. Feeding well into Saturday’s free practice, all the drivers found themselves setting times in the top 10 of their respective classes, as a total of 43 cars took to the grid to compete over the day.

During qualifying, Nick found himself 6th in the GTB class, whilst Ian and Carl both had to set the qualifying times for the two duos, subsequently claiming 7th and 10th in the GTH class.

​Thankfully, the weather held up as we headed into the race, with Ian and Carl starting in the driver’s seat, and Lewis and Benji taking over their stint at the halfway mark. The first half of the race went well, with all drivers moving up the grid. However, a driver off track meant the safety car was soon bought out, minimising the time differences created and forming

significant traffic on the circuit.

​Once the green flag finally returned, it was soon time to box for a driver change. Benji, complete with his new pizza inspired helmet created by Hypex, switched with Ian, and was released from the pitlane. He put in a solid performance and made up some more places, completing the race a respectable 7th in class out of 13 in the GTH category.

Some great driving by Nick after his midway pitstop enabled him to push his way into a podium position as he used the safety car to his advantage. Maintaining his pace, it was another trophy for Nick who completed the race 3rd in class. 

Taking control of the GT4 with 25 minutes to go, Lewis quickly made his mark, building on Carl’s earlier progress with a great performance, complete with some fantastic overtakes. Forcing himself up the grid, the Lewis/Carl duo finished the race in a 2nd place podium position and gained some well-deserved championship points.

​After an overall successful race with 2 podium positions for the team, it's great to hear that Ian and Benji will be joining the GT Cup grid for the rest of the series.

​Here's to seeing what happens when the team head to Snetterton next month!