News Archive » Snetterton Race Report

Saturday 5th June 2004

The Andrew Kirkaldy and Nathan Kinch won Round 5 of the British GT Championship at Snetterton today, by 39/1000ths of a second! In the most exciting race of the season so far the two young Scots put in blinding performances, earning themselves the top spot on the podium. Team-mates Tim Mullen and Rob Barff brought the sister Ferrari home in a solid fourth position earning valuable points for the team.

The Scuderia Ecosse team was on a roll today. They began the day well with Andrew setting the fastest time by over a second in the free practice session. Nathan then put in a great lap to secure pole position for the race. The race start went well and Nathan built up a good lead. He lost a bit of time to backmarkers but handed the car over to Andrew in the lead.

Nathan Kinch
“The start went well for me today and I had a great time leading the race. After building up a good lead it was a shame to lose some of the gap when I got stuck in traffic but I came into the pits in P1 with the Sugden/Cocker Porsche behind me. I’m delighted that we got this one as the team really deserve it and have worked incredibly hard for it.”

The Pro-Am penalty means that the Ferrari had to sit in the pits for 25 seconds longer than the Porsche so Tim Sugden was well away by the time Andrew got going. The gap looked impossible but one should never underestimate Andrew Kirkaldy when he has a glint in his eye!

Stewart Roden
“That was so close at the end! Nathan did a cracking job today and handed over to Andrew in the lead. The 25 second penalty is still a struggle and we weren’t expecting a win today but with Sugden running with a lot of ballast, a circuit that suits the Ferrari and a hard-charging Kirkaldy, we had the magic combination. We’ve worked hard for this one and managed to find the ideal set-up on the car so we’re all absolutely delighted. Now we just need to do it again tomorrow!”

The second half of the race was a crowd-thriller with Andrew relentlessly hunting down the Porsche of Tim Sugden. After reeling him in, gaining around two seconds a lap, Andrew overcooked it at the Russell Chicane and lost time going through the dust. He held his nerve, straightened himself out and went back after Sugden, finally passing the Porsche four laps before the end at Riches.

Andrew Kirkaldy
“I hope you all enjoyed that as it was a lot of hard work! After the changeover I really wasn’t sure if we could do it but all you can do in those situations is get your head down and push as hard as you can. I thought Donington was an exciting race but this beats it. The team did a great job all day today so thank you to them. We’re on pole again for tomorrow’s race so lets see if we can do the double!

Sunday 6th June 2004

The Scuderia Ecosse team completed the dream double at Snetterton today with a lights-to-flag victory for the Andrew Kirkaldy/Nathan Kinch Ferrari. After winning yesterday’s race the team knew it would be difficult to pull off a second victory but a great deal of hard work paid off and the team leaves Snetterton on a high.

Andrew Kirkaldy starting from pole, got away first and set about pulling out a good lead to Tim Sugden’s Porsche. He needed a large cushion of time to counteract the car’s 25 second penalty. A stunning drive saw him bring the car in for Nathan in first position with just enough time to spare to allow Nathan to rejoin the race just ahead of the Porsche, now driven by Jonathan Cocker.

Andrew Kirkaldy
“I had to go for it with a big charge at the start as the only way we were going to win today was if we got a big lead. The car felt very good but I did lose my rhythm a bit towards the end of my stint as there was a bit of traffic to get through. I had an exceptional car and an all round enjoyable weekend!”

Nathan Kinch
“I think Andrew did one hell of a job again today. The car felt great, the pitstop was great, the team was great, everything was great! A spot on result!”

Tim Mullen had a good start, dicing with Sugden’s Porsche before settling into his race. He handed his Ferrari over to Rob Barff in fourth position. The #34 Ferrari finished the race in sixth position.

Stewart Roden
“What a fantastic weekend! After winning by the skin of our teeth yesterday we didn’t think we’d be able to do it again today. Nathan and Andrew both drove brilliantly all weekend. Nathan was nose to tail with Cocker for the second half of the race and showed he could handle the pressure when the heat was on. Andrew showed us his normal performance and drove the wheels off the car. All in all I’m delighted with the whole team’s performance this weekend and we can’t wait to come back for more as Castle Combe.”

ENDS

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