Switching to race in the Avon Tyres British GT championship in 2006 with Team RPM was possibly the best move of my career so far and I was delighted to be offered the opportunity. Not only did I join one of the best British GT teams but together we seem to form a winning package.
My first season in sports cars couldn’t have gone much better. After a couple of disappointing seasons racing Formula Renault Italia and Formula Renault UK, it was both exhilarating and a relief to be back on the podium again and proof I was capable of winning in cars as well as karts.
Safe in the knowledge I would be on the British GT starting grid with a credible team and great team mate, Alex Mortimer, I also benefited by starting the season with some knowledge of the British tracks, gained from my Formula Renault days.
From clinching fourth in GTC in my first British GT race, the partnership of Alex and I went from strength to strength and very quickly I became hooked on GTs and started to enjoy racing again.
Without doubt, the most memorable moment of the 2006 season was clinching our first win on what was the hardest circuit on the calendar, Pau in France. That inaugural victory helped us to gain a good advantage in the GTC Championship, as it helped give me a boost of confidence, and from that point onwards the podiums and wins came much more easily.
In fact, looking back at our 2006 track record makes pretty impressive reading. We notched up a hat-trick of wins, two second-place finishes and a pair of third places. Our championship chances looked pretty good all through the season but a string of three DNFs at Snetterton and Rockingham meant we were pushing right up until the final round at Silverstone to try and salvage lost points. Regardless, I think to score third in GTC in my first season of sports car racing is a great achievement.
Although I will be staying with Team RPM for 2007, many exciting new challenges lie ahead as we move up to contest the GT3 class in a mighty Dodge Viper. Initial testing is already proving positive but I can’t wait for the lights to go green once again, with the first rounds at Oulton Park, 7-9 April. |
