British GT, Oulton Park: Transmission's Top 20

Like every great seasoner opener, last Easter weekend at Oulton Park had a little bit of everything … rain, more rain, safety cars, mayhem, and a generous helping of masterly magic.

For Jonny Adam, Race 1 was his 100^th championship start, yet it also marked a debut for the former four-time British GT champion, having found himself unexpectedly trading race seats to pair-up with James Cottingham in the 2 Seas Mercedes-AMG GT3. Though only a temporary move away from his more familiar Aston Martin home, any feelings of nostalgia from the Scotsman were soon dispelled as Cottingham found the raw, dry pace to earn Saturday’s pole position … which he then duly converted into a dominant lead during Monday’s first encounter despite rapidly changing conditions.

Oulton’s narrow track and twisting turns never makes passing here easy, especially in a brutish grand tourer, which is why the driver changeovers are always so pivotal. And as the first GT3 cars (Loggie and Howard in P2 and P3 respectively) arrived to swap Am’s for Pro’s, the Beechdean crew replicated Howard’s on track pace to jump their rival and trade positions.

Adam’s charge was a measured as his co-pilot’s, easing away, only to be pegged back by more safety car intervention. Behind, Gounon had to lift-off to avoid overtaking a GT4 car at the restart, but Harper (in the Century BMW) was too eager and launched into P3, only to be later penalised with a drive-through. This promoted Clutton’s McLaren into the podium places, but with yet another later safety car intervention, all the attention swung onto Gunn in the Aston Martin who clearly had the pace to take the fight to the leader. It all came down to the final lap, then the final corner: Gunn launched alongside Adam but on the outside line; Adam braked late, neither could find the grip to make the turn, but Adam recovered first to beat his former team to take his first Mercedes win.

Race 2 produced a reversal of fortune for the 2 Seas squad. This time, with rain pouring, Gounon led the way all through his stint, but as he pitted to hand over to Loggie, Marciello stayed out, leaving Loggie, unfamiliar with the conditions, to join in the middle of slower traffic. This promoted the RAM car into a comfortable lead, but eagerness in the pit lane saw Ferguson released a second before he should have moved, resulting in the leader being called back into the pits to serve a penalty. This was all Loggie needed, easing the gap to a half-minute by the flag.

In GT4, a tactical masterstroke by the Academy squad kept both cars in the garage whilst others started the green flag parade. It could have gone badly wrong but the decision to then send its Mustangs out on slicks eventually paid off, Will Moore & Matt Nicoll-Jones leading teammates Erik Evans & Matt Cowley to a famous 1-2. With heavy rain falling at the start of race 2, there was no chance of a repeat. Rather, it was a case of measure and finesse from Ian Gough & Tom Wrigley who steered and sped the Race Lab Artura to an unchallenged win, heading a trio of McLarens that never looked likely to be caught.

It’s too early to predict how the season might unfold, but there were moments that signalled who the contenders might be: James Cottingham & Jonny Adam look pacy and formidable in the Mercedes, whilst Adam’s former teammates, Howard & Gunn, are both primed and in fast form. Dan Harper is another who made his ambition clear, but a lot now depends on how he develops Darren Leung from talented Am into race leader.

We already know that the Mustangs are capable of leading the way in GT4, as is Cowley, but we need to see how quickly Evans can learn the UK tracks and traffic. Right now, McLaren’s Artura seems the most likely, and whilst they’re not yet winners, Brown & Clark look to have the consistency to build a determined campaign.

Here are twenty of our favourite images from the weekend. All photographs by Howard Fielding & Steve Hindle