The season is officially started, and it was great to be back in GT World Challenge Europe after a few years away. It was a busy week, with the Prologue ahead of the race weekend, but great to cover some good mileage and it is always a great few days. Progress can be made, going straight from the test into the race weekend itself. And, what a race.

It was a case of hitting the ground running as we got ourselves quickly up to speed, and pace looked good in qualifying. The combined laptime qualifying is always an exciting format, and it is a real leveler. We took the decision to run in a different order, with my run going first when the car was at its heaviest, then delivering a lighter car to Tom, and then Giacomo in for the final session. Set up and the strategy worked for us well on this occasion, and we ended at the top of the first timesheet. A great opener. From there, we kept the momentum rolling, and pace was strong to secure a front row gridslot for later in the day.

GT World Challenge Europe keeps building as one of the most exciting and competitive GT championships, and nearly 60 cars on the grid showed that. The quality of the field means that it is a real challenge for everyone from the very start of every session, but it certainly makes you bring your A game.

The start of the race was certainly busy! A big incident over the line as the race commenced brought out a Safety Car, but Giacomo did a great job to stay clear of any real damage and briefly got the jump on the class leader. On the restart, it was another busy few laps as things settled into a bit more of a rhythm. From there, we kept fighting as the sun started to drop, working to stay with the front-runners, and defending hard from those behind us.

It was a bit of a rollercoaster in terms of how things played out, and we gained and lost a few positions as strategy played out. Ultimately, after a final Full Course Yellow caution inside the final hour, we were in the battle for the top 10. It was a real push, but I managed to regain the position before the chequered flag, chalking up our first points on the board to get our campaign off to positive start.

Focus now shifts immediately to World Endurance Championship duties, joining the Heart of Racing crew, heading straight to Imola for the rescheduled round 1.

GT World Challenge Europe Bronze Cup

Team: Ecurie Ecosse Blackthorn AMR

Car number: #56

Circuit: Paul Ricard, France

Race: P10

Drivers’ championship: P10

Teams’ championship: P10