British GT reaches the thrilling climax of its 2016 season this weekend with Courier Country racers firmly focused on a final flourish.
Donington Park hosts the final round and in the GT3 class, Fifer Jonny Adam is bidding to hang on to his championship crown.
Meanwhile, GT4 starlet Sandy Mitchell is targeting another visit to the podium after making history at the last round when Snetterton victory saw the Angus teenager become the youngest ever winner in British GT history at just 16 years and 169 days old.
Kirkcaldy’s Adam and TF Sport teammate Derek Johnston will have to claw back an 11.5 point deficit to take the title, but Donington déjà vu would suit the pair nicely.
The same venue hosted the 2015 season finale and Johnston romped away to a stunning race win, while a fifth-place finish alongside former racing partner Andrew Howard meant he and Adam claimed overall honours.
This time round it’s Johnston and Adam gunning for glory in the #17 TF Sport Aston Martin V12 Vantage GT3 and if history repeats itself Adam would become the first driver ever to retain the title in the senior class, with a win also being enough to match the current record of 11 GT3 career victories.
“I’ve been over this territory before and understand the pressure that comes with it,” said 32-year-old Adam.
“We’ve put in place a meticulous plan to make sure we have all the bases covered in the build-up and so far it’s gone pretty smoothly.
“Overall it’s great for the championship and the fans to have three different crews and three different manufacturers going into the final round with a chance of winning the title.
“That makes it a tougher task for us, but as we saw last year anything can happen on the final day of the season and hopefully we can get the little bit of luck that we need to claim the big prize.”
For Black Bull Ecurie Ecosse young gun Mitchell, success at the Leicestershire circuit would cap a remarkable development season in the new McLaren 570S GT4 for the Dundee High School pupil and fellow Scot Ciaran Haggerty.
A succession of bad luck for the dynamic duo finally came to an end when they climbed onto the top step at Snetterton and former British junior karting champ Mitchell would love to savour the sweet taste of success in the season finale.
He is also carrying the confidence of a storming drive in the second race at the last round, charging through the pack after accidental damage dropped his teammate down the order to come within a whisker of another podium.
“We’re both going into the final weekend feeling really confident and we’d love to finish the year with another pole position and win,” the Forfar youngster said.
“Donington’s a fast and flowing circuit, albeit with a couple of hairpins. I’ve usually been fast when I’ve raced at the circuit, so I’m looking forward to getting back there.
“I think it’ll suit the car fine. It’s always hard to gauge until you do the first few runs, but I don’t think it’ll be a bad weekend,” he said.
