Saturday, 28 September 2013

Jonny Adam staying focussed ahead of British GT finale

The final round of the Avon Tyres British GT Championship 2013 will take place at Donington Park next weekend (October 5/6), but despite being one of the main protagonists in the title showdown Beechdean Aston Martin Racing’s Jonny Adam says he's approaching one of the biggest events in his career the same way he goes into every race - and is not feeling the pressure.


"There’s a bit more expectation from other people, but you need to keep your head screwed on and treat it as just another race. We’ll approach it as we do every event and look to perform at our very best," explains the Camberley-based Fifer.

“I’ve been in British GT since 2011 and it has got stronger and stronger every season, it’s a hugely competitive field in both the Pro and Am driver categories. It’s difficult to win races, that's why the championship is so close between the top 10 drivers going into Donington.

“If you look at last year it was the team who were lying fifth going into the last round that took the title, so that just shows you anything can happen.”

Team-mate Andrew Howard currently heads the championship battle by just half a point after six race weekends, but with ten drivers in contention for the overall British GT title and double points on offer at the final round the Beechdean squad has left no stone unturned in its preparations for Donington.

Adam believes a full test day at the Leicestershire venue this week proved invaluable in helping the team dial themselves in for the two hour endurance race around the 4.023km GP circuit.

“With such a hectic schedule earlier in the season we didn’t get a chance to do much testing, but it was perfect timing being able to put in some extra work to set us up for the final round.

“It was a really productive day with a good amount of running. We had a long list of things we wanted to try and work through, and we managed to tick a lot of boxes.

“The weather was decent which allowed us consistent conditions to work within, and as well as looking specifically at possible setups for Donington we made some really good progress on the balance of the car in other areas too.

“We are quietly confident the V12 Vantage GT3 will be strong again next weekend, Andrew is driving really well right now and put in some great times, so it was a constructive outing all round and we feel like we’re in good shape overall.”

With Aston Martin celebrating its centenary year there would be no better time for Adam as one of its factory drivers to help add another title to the marque’s legendary racing history, especially as it could be the first time an Aston Martin driver wins the British GT Championship.

“We’ll have a huge number of guests coming to enjoy Beechdean’s famous hospitality on the Sunday, and the race is live on TV, so we really want to put on a show for everyone that’s supported us.

“There’s an added bit of spice from a Scottish point of view too, as I’m carrying the Border Reivers name this year and going up against long-time rivals Ecurie Ecosse, who are also in with a shout of taking the title. 

“At the end of the day it’s all to play for and is a huge opportunity for myself, Andrew and the whole Beechdean team to put a marker down and add a major stamp to our CVs, so we’ll work as hard as we can to make it happen.”

The final round of the 2013 Avon Tyres British GT Championship season will be shown live on leading digital sports TV network, Motors TV, and is scheduled to begin at 13:15 BST on Sunday October 6.

(Jonathan Adam Racing)

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