Breakell Racing enjoyed a sensational start to their 2022 Millers Oils Ginetta GT4 SuperCup season, coming away from the opening weekend at Brands Hatch (14/15 May) with four podium finishes to their name.
The team have expanded to three cars for their second year in the British Touring Car Championship support series, including two of the brand new V8 powered Ginetta G56 GT4’s.
With limited pre-season testing with the new machinery, they headed into the opening weekend knowing it would be a steep learning curve with drivers Reece Somerfield and Wes Pearce.
Entering his 11th consecutive season in the GT4 SuperCup, Somerfield used all his experience to quickly get to grips with his G56. He went on to produce a brilliant qualifying performance, with third overall being his best ever result in the championship.
Somerfield produced a great drive in the opening race to move into second place early on and hold it through to the chequered flag for Breakell Racing’s first ever overall Ginetta podium finish. The Walsall based racer then doubled up with third in race two, before sensationally storming into the race lead on lap one of the final encounter – which was televised live on ITV – before eventually capping off a superb weekend in fifth position.
Pearce meanwhile overcame his lack of running in the car ahead of the meeting to qualify a great third in the G56 Am class. He made it a double Breakell podium in the opening race with third in class, before impressively bouncing back from a tough next outing to secure a brilliant class victory in race three. That was not only a fantastic result for Pearce on his debut weekend in the series, but it was also Breakell Racing’s first class win in Ginetta’s.
Alongside the two G56’s, the Lancashire team were also running a Ginetta G55 GT4 for another newcomer to the series, Sam Callahan. Moving into top level GT racing for the first time, the weekend was a huge learning experience for Callahan, but he showed brilliant progress across the meeting and recorded a best result of fifth in the G55 Am category.
James Breakell – Team Principal: “Honestly, this weekend has been beyond our wildest dreams. With all three drivers having barely any running in their cars ahead of the meeting, we knew it would be a big challenge and all of them came out and delivered some fantastic performances.
“Reece came so close to a podium with us on multiple occasions last year, so to see him tame the V8 G56 and get some silverware was fantastic. Wes too richly deserved his podium finishes and it was a great drive in tricky conditions to score the class win.
“Sam kept pushing through the meeting and made huge strides forward in his development as a driver, which will only continue with more track time in the car. That’s the same for Reece and Wes too, as we all get more experience with the new cars.
“Thank you to everyone in the Breakell Racing team for all their hard work. To see it rewarded with our first ever class win and overall podium finishes in Ginetta racing is a special feeling and a great platform for us to build on into Oulton Park and beyond.”
Images from Jakob Ebrey Photography.