British GT’s Portimao podium was dominated by Courier country in a historic first for the series.
The ultra-competitive sportscar championship made a sun-kissed debut visit to the rollercoaster Portuguese circuit.
And it saw Fifer Jonny Adam and Forfar’s Sandy Mitchell shine under the blue skies of the Algarve.
Two-time Le Mans class victor Adam put himself back at the top of the all-time British GT winners’ list with a 19th win in the series.
🏁That's a bit of history right there!
Jonny Adam takes the flag to secure victory for himself and James Cottingham, extending their championship lead, AND draws level with Phil Keen on a record 19 British GT wins!
📺 https://t.co/GC8bydTwdn pic.twitter.com/I7RhUcbDAY
— 🇬🇧 #BritishGT 🏁 (@BritishGT) July 23, 2023
Victory alongside co-driver James Cottingham in the 2 Seas Motorsport Mercedes – their third of the season – cements the 38-year-old Kirkcaldy racer’s grip on the championship.
Meanwhile, Mitchell was also back on the podium after the 23-year-old Lamborghini factory driver took the Barwell Motorsport-prepared Huracan GT3 Evo 2 to a well-earned third place.
Adam is now closing in on a fifth title – the previous four with Aston Martin as a factory driver.
“The team did a great job all weekend, the car felt really good,” he said.
“It’s great for the championship.”
‘Crazy’ race
Mitchell and teammate Shaun Balfe overhauled a 50-second deficit early in the three-hour race for the young Angus ace to finish just 0.347secs off second place.
“It was a bit of a crazy race,” said the 2020 British GT champion.
“There were a lot of safety cars which, when it’s a three-hour race makes a big difference to the strategy.
Mitchell ran the final stint and with 47 minutes remaining was 5.1secs behind the second-placed McLaren.
He put in a series of blistering laps to hound the rear bumper of his rival McLaren but couldn’t ease himself into second place.
“We had the pace,” said Mitchell.
“But catching the leaders is one thing, overtaking them is another.
“I put him under a lot of pressure, but I wasn’t able to quite make the killer move.
“To come out with a P3, especially considering where we were early on in the race, was a fantastic effort by the whole Barwell team.
“I’m really happy with the way we responded and delighted with the podium.”
