Andrew Gordon-Colebrooke enjoyed a competitive end to his maiden Michelin Ginetta GT4 Supercup campaign with a pair of top ten finishes during the season finale at Brands Hatch this past weekend (29/30 September). Tackling the Kent circuit’s legendary Grand Prix layout, Gordon-Colebrooke once again highlighted his clear front-running potential in the championship across the meeting, but saw some misfortune unfortunately deprive him of a standout result to end the campaign. Gordon-Colebrooke enjoyed an encouraging start aboard his Century Motorsport prepared Ginetta G55 GT4 during Friday practice, with positive pace on both new and old tyres boosting his confidence heading into the weekend’s action. The WHIreland Wealth Management backed driver converted that pace into a strong sixth place result in qualifying on Saturday morning, which means he ends the campaign with an impressive run of six consecutive top six qualifying results. Unfortunately the first of the day’s two races started in nightmare fashion for the Buckinghamshire racer as he stalled on the grid. Fortunate not to be collected by another driver, he quickly restarted the car and got himself back into the action at the rear of the field. A fantastic comeback drive saw Gordon-Colebrooke rapidly working his way up the order, with his charge including a sensational overtaking move that saw him go three wide into the high-speed Hawthorns corner and emerge in front to put himself on the cusp of the top ten. Further late progress would net him a ninth place finish at the flag, which he duly followed up with another strong performance during a relatively subdued second race, producing competitive lap-times as he ran in tenth position throughout for his fifteenth top ten finish of the season. The final race of the weekend took place live on ITV4 on Sunday afternoon, with a fantastic start seeing the 25 year old make immediate progress off the line in his 3C Test Ltd and Tyrrell Automotive backed Ginetta, before gaining more ground as other drivers hit trouble. Settling into fourth place heading into an early safety car period, Gordon-Colebrooke was handed a ten second time penalty due to a false start, however that proved inconsequential as an unfortunate steering issue caused him to run off circuit at the restart and end his race in retirement. Despite his misfortune, Gordon-Colebrooke, who is a member of the Andy Priaulx Sports Management (APSM) programme, ends his maiden season in positive spirits and he heads into the winter with high hopes for a possible return to the championship in 2019. Andrew Gordon-Colebrooke: “It was a pretty tough weekend to end the season. The pace was exceptionally quick throughout the field all meeting, and I tried my hardest to get in the mix at the front, but unfortunately some things didn’t go my way. “Sixth was a pretty satisfying result in qualifying and I learnt lots in the session that I hoped to take into the races, but unfortunately I stalled it on the grid and that instantly put me on the backfoot for the remainder of the races as I tried to fight back through. “The first two races were polar opposites, I was able to enjoy a fun first race and make up some ground, but I couldn’t make the progress I wanted in race two. The start to race three was great, but sadly it went downhill from there and it’s frustrating to end the year with a retirement. “There’s been highs and lows across my first season, but I’ve absolutely loved it. It’s probably the most enjoyable season I’ve had in motorsport so far, and despite all the bad luck, I’ve learnt an awful lot this season and I’m delighted with the progress I have made. “In the moment, each difficult race and poor result were disappointing, thinking what could have been and should have been, but ultimately it’s my rookie year, it’s been about my learning, and the pace is certainly there to be in the top four and getting regular podiums. “Hopefully we can come back next season, learn from the mistakes and enjoy a successful year. A massive thank you to Century Motorsport, they haven’t put a foot wrong all year, to my sponsors for their fantastic support, and also to APSM whose guidance has been truly invaluable.”
Image from Jakob Ebrey Photography.