Final Report

GTO sorted in thrilling finale to season!

By PH Staff / Monday, 23 September 2002 / Loading comments

Mike Jordan and David Warnock won the final round of the BRDC British GT Championship at Donington Park this afternoon (Sunday 22 September). In a superb finale to the season, both GT and GTO classes were won by little more than a second.

Jordan had to fend off the Saleen S7-R of Tommy Erdos/Ian McKellar over the closing stages of the race, and the result was in doubt all the way to the flag. "That was everything I'd got," said Jordan after a mighty performance.

A strong opening stint by David Warnock, followed by a superb pit-stop by the Lister team set Jordan up for victory, but Erdos chased throughout and got close enough to attack at Melbourne, before Jordan managed to stretch the lead out to a few yards. "That keeps our record intact," said Warnock, after his ninth British GT win for Lister at Donington. "I was so determined," added Jordan after one of his best drives of the season.

Into third in GT came the TVR Speed 12 of Rob Barff/Michael Caine, while a fine fourth went to the Colin Blower Motorsport Ultima GTR of Lee Caroline/Jay Shepherd.

Victory in the GTO category for Jamie Davies/Tim Mullen in their Ferrari 360 clinched the championship title for Davies, as Tim Sugden finished only a second behind after a dramatic chase.

"It's just fantastic, it's been a great year for us," said Davies after winning the GTO title. Sugden gave his all in pursuit of the Ferrari, and was just a second adrift at the flag.

Through the first half of the race, the TVR Tuscan R of Martin Short/Simon Pullan controlled the class and was firmly on target for the title. However, an electrical fault slowed the car, before diff failure signalled retirement.

It was a massive blow to the Rollcentre Racing team and left the way open for the Ferrari to take the lead.

However, lap by lap Sugden was hunting Davies down and by the flag the gap was just one second. Sugden had pushed his Porsche to the limit in his chase of Davies, but he needed just one more lap to be in a position to challenge.

Former Grand Prix racer Ivan Capelli took third in his Ferrari, while fourth went to the TVR Tuscan R of Piers Johnson/John Hartshorne. In the opening stint, with Johnson at the wheel, the car ran second in GTO behind the Pullan TVR.