Team Parker Racing picked up British GT’s PMW Expo Team of the Weekend Award at Rockingham after spending all of Saturday repairing its severely crash-damaged Bentley Continental GT3.
Work was completed in time for Sunday morning’s warm-up after Rick Parfitt Jnr was caught out on oil while exiting Gracelands during FP1. The resulting impact with School Straight’s inside wall, measured at 4g, would have been enough for most to call it a day. But not Team Parker’s crew, who first stripped down and then repaired the Bentley’s chassis, which had been damaged at both right-hand corners.
Repairs were still being completed early on Sunday morning but, incredibly, the car - affectionately known as ‘Geoff’ - emerged from its garage at 9.25am ready to turn its first laps in almost 24 hours.
“The impact punched two holes in the chassis and took almost the entire right-hand side out,” team boss Stuart Parker told Motorsport News. “We had to change both bumpers, the front cooling pack, both corners and repair the chassis. The carbon fibre specialist was working until 7am on the bodywork.”
Saturday’s accident did little to blunt the car’s speed with Parfitt Jnr setting the fastest Am lap of the race during his charge through from last in class to fourth overall. However, separate stop/go penalties for he and co-driver Seb Morris would ultimately see the pair finish 10th.