Breakell Racing brought their first full season in the British Endurance Championship (BEC) to a close with a fantastic overall podium finish at Donington Park (14 October).
The Clitheroe-based team made an unexpected switch to GT3 machinery on the eve of the event, with their talented driving duo of Tom Jackson and Ameerh Naran adapting perfectly to add to three podium finishes secured in the previous events.
A productive week of testing in their Mercedes-AMG GT4 leading up to the event came to a dramatic conclusion on the Friday, as an engine failure out of the team’s control led to a last-minute change of plans; the hiring of a McLaren 720S GT3 for the two-hour race the next day.
Jumping straight in at the deep end with no previous running in the car prior to qualifying, they adapted quickly and secured a strong fourth overall on the grid. Settling into a rhythm in tricky damp conditions at the start of the race, they soon went on the offensive.
Moving up to third overall at the half hour mark, it wasn’t long until they had risen to second position. Flawless driving performances from Jackson and Naran on a drying circuit led to them leading the race at one stage before coming home a fantastic second overall, just 13 seconds shy of the race-winners.
James Breakell - Team Principal: “It was quite a curveball to suddenly be heading into race day with a new car, but everyone in the team did a phenomenal job to adapt to the situation and do a perfect job on Saturday. We put a fast race car out on circuit, and Tom and Ameerh drove it superbly.
“We’ve really enjoyed our season competing in the British Endurance Championship, pitting ourselves against a high quality, competitive grid. Ameerh has shown fantastic progression through the year and Tom has been a class act, and we certainly hope to work with both of them again in future.”