Watson in second place in the Ginetta GT4 Supercup, after second weekend of action at Donington Park
Nineteen-year-old Andrew Watson’s bid for the Ginetta GT4 Supercup title continued this weekend, with a wet and windy two days of action at Donington Park.
The rain came thick and fast on Saturday, creating particularly difficult conditions for Watson, who finished fourth in qualifying.
Despite this, the young driver managed to fight his way into third place, only to slip back down to fifth where he finished the race.
Sunday’s action got off to a great start for Watson who ended race two in third place; his fourth podium finish of the Championship to date. He said: “It was really wet out there. The rain was falling heavily all morning. But I managed to get a really good start, passing my teammate and pushing up into third place. I was chasing down the leaders but my tyres didn’t come in as strong as I needed them to, so I made the decision to hold pace and hang on to third place.”
The final race of the weekend got off to a somewhat controversial start. After a morning of heavy rain, the entire grid had opted to start the race on wets. But when the rain unexpectedly stopped and the track started to dry, a number of teams moved their drivers into the pits to change to slicks; a decision which was not taken by five drivers, who were all of the opinion that changing tyre at this late stage would be contrary to race regulations.
One of the drivers to remain on wets was Watson. “Wet tyres on a dry track are not ideal. I was leading for a good time, trying to make sure I looked after the tyres and stuck to wet parts on the track but it was quite difficult. It meant that me and Robertson, who had also stuck with the wets, were passed by the rest of the grid who had all started on slicks.”
A hard fought battle between Watson and Robertson ensued and Watson ended the race in ninth, ahead of Robertson. However, Watson was later handed a 0.2 second penalty, picked up when he made contact with Robertson, leaving him in tenth place and Robertson ahead in ninth.
The results of this weekend leave Charlie Robertson of HHC Motorsport in first place, with Watson of Douglas Motorsport just two points behind in second place.
Watson said: “The conditions at Donington Park were tough at times for all of us out there, so overall I was pleased to score quite heavily and to come away with another podium finish.
“Donington Park is one of Charlie Robertson’s best tracks and we always knew he would be quick here. So to come away having fought hard and to only be two points behind him, is a good result.
“I’m looking forward to moving onto Thruxton Circuit. we were quickest there in practice and so we’re feeling pretty confident. We’re certainly looking for wins and now we’re more fired up than ever by all accounts.”
Originally from County Tyrone in Northern Ireland, Watson’s debut in the Ginetta Supercup came last season, where he quickly made his mark on the competition. This year, Watson and his Douglas Motorsport team have their sights firmly set on the Championship title.
