Euro GT3 Pro Cup
Lamborghini factory driver Scot Sandy Mitchell, bags top six Euro GT3 Pro Cup result at Zandvoort with Barwell and Dama Fortuna Tequila.
Sandy bagged a top six finish in the GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Pro Cup at Zandvoort, despite feeling under the weather all weekend fighting a bug. The 25-year-old from Forfar, again partnered by team-mate Hugo Cook in the No.78 Lamborghini Huracan GT3 Evo2, prepared by Barwell and backed by Dama Fortuna Premium Tequila, started the opening 60-minute race from 13th on the 41-car grid. Sandy survived what turned out to be a bruising opening three corners as the field battled for position on the first lap, with two cars eventually ending up in the gravel forcing the immediate appearance of the Safety Car.
Sandy: “We always knew there was going to be a big pinch-point at Turn One, the tight right-hander, and so it proved,” explained Sandy, who was almost forced into the wall after contact as he held the inside line in the sprint down the start-finish straight. The opening lap was, as expected, intense, but I managed to make up a couple of positions and then we settled behind the Safety Car.”
By the time the race went green again with 51-minutes remaining, Sandy was up to ninth and immediately rattled off a number of personal best fastest laps round the demanding 2.67-mile, 14-turn circuit which hosts the F1 Dutch Grand Prix. Having clocked a best time of 1min 36.016secs, Sandy found himself tucked up tight behind the #9 Mercedes. And while a number of cars ahead of him pitted early, Sandy stayed on-track eventually pitting from fifth with 33-minutes remaining. A lightning-fast pitstop by the Barwell crew saw Cook emerge just ahead of the #59 McLaren which had been ahead of Sandy when the pair pitted.
Sandy: “The crew did a fantastic job to get us out ahead of the McLaren, and Hugo then did a brilliant job fending off the cars behind as he came under increased pressure.”
Having rejoined back in fifth place, it was only in the closing minutes that Cook lost a couple of places, finally bringing the #78 home sixth in the Pro Cup and seventh overall.
Sandy: “It’s a great result for the team especially as this is not only Barwell’s first full season contesting the Sprint Pro Cup, but Hugo’s first in the Pro class,” Sandy, personally backed by Tunnocks and Dama Fortuna Tequila, stated. “His pace and stern defence during his stint was excellent, and it was terrific to bag a big haul of championship points.”
The importance of qualifying on the demanding Dutch circuit, which includes its iconic 18-degree banked corners and winds its way through the sand dunes bordering the North Sea, was highlighted in Race 2. Starting from 20th on the grid, Cook immediately found himself in a long, tight train of cars and with the Balance of Performance ensuring all cars are evenly matched, overtaking on the tight track was near impossible.
Sandy: “Zandvoort’s a hard track to attack on and Hugo did really well to hold position. Unfortunately we dropped a couple of places at the pitstop, then we received a post-race time penalty for speeding in the pits. Race two definitely didn’t go the way we’d hoped, but we again proved in the opener that we have a car fast enough to fight at the front of the field.”
Sandy’s next Sprint Cup outing is at Misano in Italy on July 18-20. Before that he returns to the British GT Championship for two one-hour races at Oulton Park this weekend (May 24-25).
