Haigh returns to British GT with Adam for Silverstone in Mercedes

Haigh, the first outright female champion in British GT history after triumphing with Optimum Motorsport, will line up alongside four-time series champion Adam aboard the second 2 Seas Mercedes-AMG GT3 at the Silverstone, Snetterton and Brands Hatch rounds in a part-season entry.

It marks the end of a competition hiatus that stretches back to the end of 2019, when Haigh drove a Spirit of Race Ferrari 488 GT3 with Chris Froggatt under the Team GB banner at the FIA’s Motorsport Games.

Haigh, who tested last week at Silverstone, will campaign the 2 Seas machine that Froggatt and Kevin Tse took to a podium in the second one-hour race at Oulton Park earlier this month.

The 37-year-old told Autosport that Adam had been the instigator for her return, with the Aston Martin factory driver freed up to drive for another brand for the first time since his series debut in 2011 in an arrangement similar to the one that allows Nicki Thiim to race a Lamborghini in the DTM.

Adam scored two British GT podiums last year alongside Andrew Howard at the Prodrive-run Beechdean AMR squad, but no Aston customers have entered the championship’s GT3 class this year.

“He knew I'd already tested the Merc and got on with it,” Haigh said. “I'd already driven the new [for 2019] Aston and hadn't really got on with it.

“When he knew that he could do something else, he approached me and said, 'Do you want to do something in British?'

“It's great to be back out there and it's just hopefully a stepping stone to being able to put something together for a full championship next year.”

#75 Flick Haigh, Jonny Adam Optimum Motorsport Aston Martin Vantage V12 Vantage GT3

Photo by: JEP / Motorsport Images

Haigh said that she and Adam have “fitted right in” at 2 Seas and were enjoying getting to grips with the Mercedes, but stopped short of setting any targets.

“The car is just brilliant,” she added. “It reminds me of the old Aston [V12 Vantage] actually in the way it behaves and it's just a really nice car to drive.

“We'll see how it goes. I've got two years of catching up to do, I'm very aware that I can't just jump back in and start from where I left off.

“The level in British GT is constantly going up, it's higher than when I did it so it's still a massive challenge to come into it.

“It's a good place to start and just see where I am, then progress from there.”

Flick Haigh, Jonny Adam, 2 Seas Mercedes AMG GT3

Photo by: JEP / Motorsport Images

Adam said: “The team have been great to work with, so we have high hopes to try and achieve some solid results for Flick on her return back to British GT.”

Meanwhile, International GT Open regulars Joe Osborne and Nick Moss have been announced in an additional McLaren 720S GT3 entry from Optimum Motorsport for Silverstone, increasing the provisional entry to 19 cars in the top class.