Loggie seals British GT3 title despite spin

The RAM Racing Mercedes-AMG driver came into the championship decider with a healthy 24.5-point lead over nearest rivals Adam Balon and Sandy Mitchell (Barwell Lamborghini Huracan), with a maximum of 37.5 points available to the winners of Sunday’s two-hour race.

Alongside recently crowned GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup champion Jules Gounon, Loggie started only 10th after a heavy rain shower hit during the opening part of qualifying before they could set a lap.

Balon/Mitchell were also caught out by Saturday’s changeable weather and started ninth, while James Cottingham/Lewis Williamson (2 Seas Mercedes) and Morgan Tillbrook/Marcus Clutton (Enduro McLaren 720S) – who were mathematically in title contention but needed to win the race – started 12th and eighth respectively.

Loggie’s task became harder at the opening corner, as Tillbrook spun forcing the Mercedes driver and Balon to take avoiding action through the Redgate gravel.

All three rejoined, but Loggie had dropped to last in the GT3 field before suffering a spin on the exit of Goddards as he made his way through the GT4 runners.

His cause was helped by a safety car in the opening hour to clear debris from the circuit and problems for a number of rivals, including Cottingham pitting to remove an advertising board from the front of his car and Tillbrook serving a drive-through penalty for the opening lap incident.

It meant that when Gounon took over just past the hour mark they were just able to jump ahead of both Mitchell (in for Balon) and Clutton (in for Tillbrook) with both crews serving success penalties from the previous round.

Loggie started only 10th after a heavy rain shower hit during the opening part of qualifying

Photo by: Jakob Ebrey Photography

Gounon rejoined second overall and another safety car period, again to retrieve debris, shortly after the pitstops meant a five-second gap to race leader and ex-Formula E driver Alexander Sims was negated.

The Century BMW M4 driver, sharing with British GT debutant Darren Leung, was never headed however as they took victory with second enough for Loggie to take his maiden British GT title.

“ I never thought it was going to turn out like that after being in the gravel at Turn 1, said Loggie. "I thought I got a decent start and I was going to make up some places and the next thing you’re in the gravel.

"We just ground away, got it together, made up some places. Amazing pitstop, that was just fantastic and we got in front of the Lamborghini and the McLaren.”

Loggie’s title success was achieved following victory in the second one-hour race at Oulton Park alongside Gounon, having successfully appealed against a decision to have a success penalty applied post-race after a red-flag.

There was a further victory alongside Callum Macleod in the opening one-hour contest at Snetterton, while there were podiums in the first Oulton race, on the May visit to Donington and at Spa in July.

The only blemish on the Scot’s season was a retirement at the Silverstone three-hour event after being caught up in an accident with Richard Neary’s Abba Racing Mercedes, which had been leading the Donington finale until stopping out on track after 50 minutes.

Sennan Fielding/Richard Williams (Steller Audi R8) claimed the overall GT4 title

Photo by: Jakob Ebrey Photography

In GT4, Sennan Fielding/Richard Williams (Steller Audi R8) claimed the overall title after also finishing second, having overturned a 12.5-point deficit to Matt Topham/Darren Turner (Newbridge Aston Martin Vantage).

The Audi duo finished behind Jordan Collard/Tom Edgar’s Toyota Supra, but was enough to seal the title from the R Racing Aston of Josh Miller/Jamie Day which finished fourth and jumped to second overall in the standings.