Suffolk driver Oli Basey-Fisher is hoping to secure a top three finish in this year’s Protyre Motorsport Ginetta GT5 Challenge with just two races left in the series.
During the fifth event of the season at Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium the Great Finborough teenager took the eighth and ninth podiums of his maiden season in the GT5 Challenge to move into fourth place in the driver standings.
And so impressive was his overall performance across the weekend on his Spa debut, Basey-Fisher claimed the runner-up spot in the inaugural European Ginetta GT5 Challenge – and the title of European Vice-Champion.
“It’s absolutely fantastic to have become European Vice-Champion,” he said.
“It was an amazing weekend at Spa, the Academy Motorsport guys did a great job with the car and to have taken two podiums on my first ever visit was as much as we could have hoped for.
“It really has given me a major boost for the last two events of the year now at Brands Hatch and Donington.”
The Suffolk One College took second place in the first race at Spa and then moved up from seventh to claim another second in the following race, a fantastic show of driving.
During the final Spa outing, the Century Logistics-backed youngster posted a highly competitive fourth place result despite an engine problem which did hamper his charge.
Running in second spot early on, Basey-Fisher was elbowed back to fourth by lap four due to the power issues but still managed to remain within 0.9 seconds of a podium hat-trick to cap a superb weekend.
“It would have obviously been fantastic to make it three podiums from three races at Spa, without the engine issues we’d have done it”, he said.
“It was really important to take away as many points as we could though, we’re now within six points of the championship top three so it’s all to play for with six races still to go in the season.
“It’s been a great year so far, I can’t wait now for Brands.”
Brands Hatch Grand Prix Circuit will host rounds 16, 17 and 18 of the Protyre Motorsport Ginetta GT5 Challenge on August 10 and 11.
The championship finale, on October 5 and 6, will take place at Donington Park in Leicestershire.
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