Tim Mullen and Chris Niarchos were left delighted with a double victory at Brands Hatch that gives them the upper hand in the battle for the 2006 Avon Tyres British GT Championship.
The Scuderia Ecosse pair pair took victory in the opening race to claim a one point lead in the standings going into race two and then extended that lead to three with victory in the second race – although it was a much less straightforward victory than the one enjoyed on Saturday.
Mullen took the start from third on the grid and set off in pursuit of the Panoz of Tom Kimber-Smith and the Mosler of Ian Flux, which had shocked the title hopefuls by qualifying on pole. Kimber-Smith passed Flux and began to pull out a gap with Mullen quickly following him through and closing the gap to the leader when the first Safety Car period of the race occurred.
Just before the pit window opened Mullen passed the Panoz when Kimber-Smith ran wide at Westfield, allowing the Ferrari to pass him on the inside through Dingle Dell. As a second Safety Car period took place, the leaders pitted with Mullen having the car over to Niarchos and, after a perfect pit-stop, the Ferrari rejoined, puzzlingly behind the Panoz, leaving the ever popular Niarchos with work to do.
He soon for the job done, squeezing through on the inside in a move tight enough to warrant a Steward's investigation but which was judged to be a racing move as the Ferrari made it a double and the Panoz had to settle for third.
“******* brilliant!” Niarchos said afterwards. “What else is there to say? It's a great result for us and I thoroughly enjoyed the racing here at Brands Hatch, although I could have done without the steward's inquiries as they're not good for me! I'm delighted with the result!”
Mullen was also happy with a double victory, although the weekend was tinged with sadness as both wins were dedicated to Mullen's cousin Sherelle Duke, the Irish three day event champion who died during a competition in the week leading up to the Brands Hatch meeting.
“It's fantastic that we leave Brands with two more wins, especially as I can dedicate them to my cousin,” he said. “I still think it's weird though that we've won nine out of eleven races but we're only two points ahead on the score sheet. The championship is so tight that we can't afford any slip-ups, but then we don't intend to make any. Roll on Silverstone!”
