Neary Brothers Claim British GT Pole at Donington as Chaos Unfolds in Qualifying
In a chaotic qualifying session at Donington Park, Richard and Sam Neary capitalized on the unpredictable conditions to secure pole position for the final race of the British GT Championship season. The qualifying session was disrupted by a brief rainstorm, with several cars missing out on the dry running at the start.
Despite the challenges, the Neary brothers emerged victorious, with Richard setting the second-fastest lap in Q1 and Sam posting the top time in the drier Q2 conditions. This marks Team Abba’s first-ever British GT pole position.
In the highly competitive GT4 class, it was a close battle between the Toyota Gazoo Racing UK GR Supra and the Steller Motorsport Audi R8 LMS. Tom Edgar and Jordan Collard ultimately claimed their first pole position of the season, edging out Sennan Fielding and Richard Williams by just 0.017 seconds on combined times.
“The changing weather conditions proved to be a significant factor, with several championship contenders failing to set a time in the early stages of the session,” the article noted.
This has put Team Abba in a prime position to bounce back after their technical issues at Brands Hatch, while Orange Racing powered by JMH will start alongside them on the front row.
In the GT3 class, Darren Leung, the GT3 debutant, set the fastest lap of the session, putting the Century Motorsport BMW M4 GT3 he shares with Alexander Sims on the third spot on the grid. The Greystone GT McLaren of Stewart Proctor and Warren Hughes will start fifth, while the Paddock Motorsport McLaren, which beached in the gravel after the rain hit, will take a 10-place penalty and start from the back of the grid.
With the championship still wide open, this dramatic qualifying session has set the stage for an exciting final race of the 2023 British GT season at Donington Park. Fans can look forward to a thrilling battle for the title, with the Neary brothers and other championship contenders vying for the coveted trophy.
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