The Richmond Racing Ginetta took a fourth place finish in the GTC class at
Snetterton although it was a result tinged with disappointment as the team missed out on the chance to give Ginetta its first GT podium for 50 years.
With just five minutes of the race remaining, Richard Hollebon and Nick Marsh were lying third in class in the diminutive G20 before a front upright failure and steering rack damage brought about following contact with the Team Modena Lamborghini forced Hollebon to pull off and retire.
The Lambo hit me coming out of Sear, and although it was only a small wheel to wheel hit, the steering wheel jumped out of my hand! he said. I tried to keep the car going at the end, but the upright was too badly damaged. I am gutted; the team really wanted this result.
Having missed the last race meeting at
Donington Park, the team was eager to bounce back in the first two hour race of the season, with Marsh dicing with the
Ferrari of David Dove in the opening stages before being caught out at a Safety Car period when he was caught behind the race leader.
Bringing the car in 13th overall, he handed over to Hollebon who looked good for his podium finish until the unfortunate retirement.
We classified as twelfth overall and fourth in class, Hollebon continued, but we think that had the Safety Car periods not conspired against us - and had the car not been subject to an accident - then a second or even a win was on the cards.
The team will now work hard to repair the car ahead of the next round of the season at
Brands Hatch and Marsh said he was looking forward to the challenge after an encouraging performance.
We are looking forward to Brands and the next two hour race at
Silverstone where we think the car can show some very positive results, he said. There is a lot of repair work to the car from this weekend, but the team have done a great job already to rebuild the car from the
Oulton Park engine failure, so I am sure we will be at Brands ready to race.
