It’s been a few weeks since I was with the Blackthorn AMR crew, but it was back to GT Open business at Paul Ricard, and another fantastic weekend on track. Reuniting with Charles in the car, we really strengthened his charge for the championship, picking up where we left off and taking the top spot across qualifying and the two races.

We knew coming into the weekend that there were some solid championship points on offer, and with a bit of time away, there was extra motivation to make sure we made the most of every session. The target was simple: maximise the opportunity in front of us.

The opening qualifying set the tone for what was to be a mega weekend for the team. Pole position outright was the perfect start we could have hoped for. From here, it gave us the platform to go on and take victory in the first race of the weekend after a mega drive by Charles and top work by the crew who had given us a great car.

Race two kept us in the fight. A solid qualifying by Charles put us inside the top-10, and we knew we had a strong package around us after the previous result. We chipped away, worked on strategy, and kept fighting our own fight. Working our way forward, we brought the race together lap by lap, and it was exciting to be a part of. A final opportunity with a lap to go opened up a move, and we took the Pro Am lead to bring home two wins from two. I couldn’t have been more proud of the whole team for the efforts, and to stand on that podium again 24 hours later was a fantastic feeling.

This summer of racing has been one of the best for me, personally, that I can remember. Some real highs, and this latest weekend in Ricard has given a real boost to the GT Open championship efforts. This latest weekend, and the recent races, have really reinforced the huge effort behind the scenes – the whole team worked tirelessly all weekend to give us a car capable of fighting at the front, and I couldn’t be more grateful for that.

A huge mention too for Charles, who drove brilliantly all weekend and was such a pleasure to share the car with again. It’s results like this that remind you why you do this sport, and I’m incredibly proud of what we achieved together as a group.

International GT Open
Team: Blackthorn AMR
Car number: #97
Circuit: Circuit Paul Ricard, France
Qualifying: P1 (Outright and Pro-Am)
Race 1: P1
Race 2: P1
Drivers’ championship: P2