British GT drivers slipped off the top of both Sunoco Challenge standings following a topsy-turvy second round of the season at Rockingham last weekend.
Team Parker Racing duo Seb Morris and Rick Parfitt Jnr had respectively led the Sunoco Whelen Challenge and Sunoco 200 Challenge points thanks to their collective performance at Brands Hatch in mid-April, but have dropped down the rankings after enduring a more difficult weekend in Corby.
Equally, Jonny Adam - who won his second British GT round in succession - and Phil Keen - who posted fastest qualifying and race laps en route to second - would be serious Sunoco Whelen Challenge contenders were they not ineligible for the prize after winning it in 2016 and 2015.
So instead it’s Beechdean AMR’s Ross Gunn who leads British GT’s senior class contingent after securing a first GT3 podium at Rockingham. The reigning GT4 champion has 71.5 points, 13.5 fewer than current leader and Radical Team Challenge driver James Abbott.
Morris, who missed qualifying and finished 10th on Sunday, has slipped to almost 25 points off the lead in sixth, while AmDTuning.com’s Joe Osborne is just outside the top-10 in 11th.
2010 Sunoco Whelen Challenge winner Derek Johnston, who remains eligible for the 200 Challenge prize, has moved up to second after he and Adam overcame a 20-second success penalty to win back-to-back British GT3 races at the start of 2016. That, coupled with his fastest Am qualifying time, has helped the TF Sport driver close to 5.67 points of current pace-setter and F3 Cup racer Shane Kelly.
Beechdean AMR’s GT4 class winners Jack Bartholomew and Jordan Albert are joint-eighth, just ahead of erstwhile leader Parfitt Jnr who completes the top-10 after a tough second outing of the season that nevertheless still resulted in a fastest GT3 Am race lap.
Click here for current Sunoco Challenge points.
More about the Sunoco Challenges:
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 two opportunities to score points when the series heads to Oulton Park for rounds three and four on May 28 & 30. Click here to reserve your tickets.