Triple Eight Racing’s assault on the 2015 Avon Tyres British GT Championship kicks into life this weekend with a trip across The Channel for the annual overseas round, which for the second year in succession is held at the Spa-Francorchamps circuit in Belgium.
Drivers Joe Osborne and Lee Mowle proudly sit third in the points after four races, and head to the continent with high hopes of a strong finish at the home of the Belgian Grand Prix and the Spa 24 Hours.
Having outscored their 4 major rivals for the British GT crown last time out at Silverstone in May, it’s advantage Triple Eight. So far this season, the lowest the team have finished is sixth, and with two podium appearances (Oulton R1, Silverstone) already in the bag, 2015 is looking like the best year for the British duo.
With added experience of the 4.35-mile track now under their belts, and a two-hour format rather than the punchy pair of 60-minute sprints, both drivers are confident of securing a maiden GT3 victory together.
Just twelve months ago, things were vastly different, and the duo arrived in Belgium with Mowle having had no testing, just simulator experiences of the phenomenal Spa circuit. Mixed weather conditions, so often a factor in the Ardennes mountains, put pay to a strong finish for the pair in race one, but in race two a last lap error by Mowle allowed Gary Eastwood’s Ferrari through and the Trackspeed Porsche relegated Triple Eight from a third place finish.
Action begins in Belgium on Friday with free practice (08:00 BST and 11:05 BST), before qualifying gets underway in the afternoon at 15:05 BST. Saturday is race day and ahead of the 25 Hour European VW Fun Cup race, Osborne and Mowle will take to the grid shortly before the 11:15 BST start time. With no live television feed, fans are encouraged to attend the race in person, or to follow Triple Eight on Twitter @888official.
Quotes from the Triple Eight Racing drivers prior to Spa-Francorchamps:
Joe Osborne: “Without doubt, as a driver, Spa is the stand-out track on the calendar again this year. The mix of fast and mid-speed corners is really rewarding when you get it right lap after lap; it’s a constant challenge and one that I can’t see myself ever tiring of. We’re playing support again this year to the Fun Cup 25 Hours, and it’s great to be on the bill with such precision machinery. Lee and I prefer the longer format races to the short stuff, so it’s great to see that SRO listened to the teams this year and switched it around. We’ve got the Spa 24 Hours around the corner, but Triple Eight’s focus this weekend is getting a good result in this race. Lee and I said at the start of the season this was our championship year. We’ve got to make good on that this weekend.”
Lee Mowle: “I’m really looking forward to getting back into the British GT paddock. I think it’s been six weeks since we last took to the grid for the Silverstone race – it seems like a lifetime ago. We’ve had the Paul Ricard round of the Blancpain Endurance Series since then and the Spa 24 Hour test day, so we’ve not been idle by any stretch of the imagination. That said, I like the competition in British GT and it’ll be good to re-ignite some battles with familiar foes; Blancpain is a fantastic platform, but it can be a bit faceless when you’re trundling round against a host of Pro drivers! Spa is the mid-point of the British GT season, and a strong performance there will set things up nicely for the second half of the year. It’s important we come away with a good points haul against our main championship rivals and if we can get the train home Saturday night with a trophy even better!”