They might have missed out on their first British GT3 victories at Brands Hatch yesterday but Seb Morris and Rick Parfitt Jnr can at least be satisfied with securing early leads in their respective Sunoco Challenge standings.
With race-winning TF Sport co-drivers Derek Johnston and Jonny Adam both ineligible for the competition after triumphing in 2010 and ’16 respectively, the way was left clear for Team Parker Racing’s Bentley duo, who finished second overall.
Morris’ fastest individual pole position time from Saturday secured him the necessary extra points to top the Sunoco Whelen Challenge standings. His average score of 115.5 is 30.5 better off than second placed Radical driver James Abbott, while AmDTuning.com’s Joe Osborne - who finished fourth in yesterday’s British GT round - lies third at this very early stage of proceedings.
Equally, Parfitt Jnr’s fastest GT3 Am lap during Sunday’s race helped him establish a 17.5-point lead in the Sunoco 200 Challenge rankings over Radical racer Steve Burgess, while Century Motorsport’s Nathan Freke - who achieved the same points combination as Morris, albeit in GT4 - is just another 4.5 further back.
GT4’s race-winning partnership of Graham Johnson and Mike Robinson sits joint fourth.
The Sunoco Challenges provide an accurate assessment and comparison of performances across multiple championships during the season. Points are awarded for qualifying and race results, including fastest lap, which are then converted into an individual average score for each competing driver over the course of a full campaign.
As in previous years, this season’s Sunoco Challenge champion will win a fully funded drive aboard the Whelen-sponsored Action Express Corvette Prototype at 2017’s Daytona 24 Hours.
Meanwhile, Sunoco’s 200 Challenge champion will contest the 200-mile Daytona support race held over the same January weekend.
A change to this year’s rules has given GT3 Am drivers a choice between contesting either the Sunoco Whelen or Sunoco 200 Challenges. Only British GT4 drivers could previously enter the latter.
The British GT Championship contingent will have another opportunity to score points when the series heads to Rockingham for round two on April 30/May 1. Click here to reserve your tickets.