Mitchell targets another Silverstone 500 winposted in GT03 | 05 | 2023
LAMBORGHINI FACTORY DRIVER, Scot Sandy Mitchell, will this weekend bid to win the Blue Riband event of the Intelligent Money British GT Championship, the Silverstone 500, for the third time in four years, writes Jim McGill. (Related: Mitchell dazzles on all-PRO Euro debut)
The 23-year-old from Forfar heads into the three-hour race, which has a packed 43-car grid at the home of the F1 British Grand Prix, partnering Shaun Balfe in the No 78 Lamborghini Huracan GT3 Evo2, prepared by Barwell Motorsport.
“I’ve always loved racing at Silverstone,” stated Mitchell, who first won the prestigious race in 2020 to seal his first British GT title, before repeating victory again 12 months ago to become the only driver to win the Silverstone 500 twice outright. “I’ve got really good memories of the track.” (Related: Mitchell gets all-PRO Euro Lambo seat)
And the Scot, who delivered a dazzling stint 10 days ago at Monza where he made his all-Pro Lamborghini debut in the Fanatic GT World Challenge Europe, is ready to ignite his assault on this year’s British GT title battle.
“The opening double-header at Oulton Park last month was our first race weekend with our new Huracan GT3 Evo2,” Mitchell, personally backed by Huntly-based Black Bull Scotch Whisky, Tunnocks, Lamborghini Edinburgh and Upper Dysart, continued, “and it was a learning experience for everyone in the team.
“By the end of the weekend we had good pace in the car, but the tight nature of the Oulton Park circuit made it very difficult for us to overtake. (Related: Mitchell returns to British GT for 2023)
“Silverstone is a different beast altogether. Its very fast, sweeping nature lends itself perfectly to the Lamborghini, and the track is much wider making overtaking easier.
“The Barwell guys always deliver a fast and reliable Lamborghini, and we know the car suits Silverstone, so we’ll be pushing hard to bag our first win of the year.
“We had a very positive test at Silverstone earlier this year, and everyone in the team was pleased with the pace and times we set. Now we have to replicate that first in qualifying, then in the three-hour race. (Related: Mitchell re-writes British GT record books at Spa)
“This is one of only two three-hour races in the championship, which means strategy plays a big part in the outcome. It’s all about anticipating and then reacting to incidents, and in the Barwell boys we have many, many years of experience in managing races.
“We all know if we get the calls right and we manage to stay out of trouble, we have the pace to be fighting right at the sharp end of the race. Do that, and we’ll be in the mix for the win.”
Related: Mitchell named Lamborghini factory driver
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Jim McGill