Just 1.3 seconds separated Forfar’s Sandy Mitchell from getting his hands on British GT’s blue riband trophy for a historic third time.
That was the agonising margin the 23-year-old Lamborghini ace missed out by after three hours of all-action racing in a titanic Silverstone 500 tussle.
The former Dundee High School pupil is already the only driver to have captured the prestigious prize twice.
And despite the disappointment of seeing hat-trick slip away, the weekend has lit up the Angus star’s 2023 championship bid.
Barwell strategy leaves rivals behind
He and teammate Shaun Balfe capitalised on a late safety car period in their Lamborghini Huracan GT3 Evo2, prepared by Barwell Motorsport.
With split-second pit-crew timing, Mitchell snatched a sensational lead with just 27 minutes remaining.
But while the young Scot immediately set his fastest lap of the race on the 3.66-mile, 18-turn circuit, trouble was looming in the shape of a rival BMW.
Five minutes’ later, the BMW had eased itself into second.
“As soon as I saw the BMW in P2 I knew we had a real race on our hands for sure,” he admitted.
“They were extremely fast in the dry this weekend.
“Plus they had a lot more straight line speed than us.
🟢 RACING RESUMES 🟢
We've got a 28min shootout between Mitchell, Adam, Bell, Harper, Marciello and Gunn!
And in GT4 Raceway's Ginetta has retained the lead despite serving its penalty.
LIVE 📺 https://t.co/0oZx1HgIbC#Silverstone500 | #BritishGT pic.twitter.com/FYGLzHSBSi
— 🇬🇧 #BritishGT 🏁 (@BritishGT) May 7, 2023
“Once he got on to my bumper it was only a matter of time before he was going to be able to pull alongside and pass me.”
It delivered door-to-door action for the crowd at the home of British motorsport.
“But I’m proud to have been able to battle as strongly as we did and come away with a P2, just over a second off the win,” said Mitchell.
“The whole team did a fantastic job when the opportunity presented itself, and we made the most of it.”
“We knew if there were any safety cars in final period of the race we would all have to be ready, so we were sitting primed to spring into action,” Mitchell continued.
Key moment
A hefty impact between two other cars turned the race in favour of the Barwell machine.
“We saw the crash, and even before the safety car had been called we were getting into place,” said Mitchell.
“That meant everything was ready for Shaun coming in and for me to jump into the car.
“It came at the perfect time for us because we were planning to pit around that time anyway.
“It basically resulted in us getting a free pitstop.
“A lot of our competitors came in as well, but because we did it first and the team again delivered a faultless pitstop, were were able to come out in the lead.
“That’s what made the difference.
“Shaun did a fantastic job through both his stints, and the Barwell crew are renowned for their pin-sharp, immediate strategic calls. They enhanced that reputation again in this weekend.”
Mitchell, who first won the Silverstone 500 in 2020 to seal his British GT title – and followed it up with victory again last year – knows the result boosts his championship hopes for this season.
“It definitely puts us right back in the hunt, especially with some of the other top cars in the championship not having had a such a good race,” he said.
“We head to Donington for the next round aiming to do exactly the same as we did this weekend, score good championship points.”
