Fifer Jonny Adam is aiming for a cracking Easter weekend start to his British GT championship campaign in the sweeping cauldron of Cheshire’s Oulton Park.
As reigning champions, the Beechdean Aston Martin Vantage GT3 of Andrew Howard and 29-year-old Adam will be the one in the sights of everyone on a bumper grid including a rookie whose exploits on a very different track have created a big buzz around the booming series.
Six-time Olympic cycling champ Sir Chris Hoy has switched from two wheels to four with Nissan, and Kirkcaldy’s Adam said his fellow Scot can expect an all-action eye-opener to his new chosen sport.
Hoy’s headline grabbing move from pedal-power to horsepower is the latest boost for a series that continues to go from strength to strength, especially for Aston Martin Racing and the Vantage GT3 that Adam drove to its first win just two short seasons ago.
But as the busy Courier Country sportsman faces a weekend in which he will also have a keen eye on BTCC support races in his role as a driver coach to a couple of the nation’s top young prospects, Adam admits a drama-free start to 2014 would be just the ticket for Beechdean and their No 1 Scooby Doo branded machine.
“We’re really looking forward to it. British GTs is a great series, the cars are so good and after such a good season last year the grid has just swollen and become even more competitive,” he said.
“This is the busiest customer programme that Aston Martin has had, and it is great to see so many of their cars on the grid.
“For Andrew and myself the opening round in the last couple of seasons has been one to forget, so we just want this weekend to go smoothly because it’s going to be more important than ever to get good points.
“I you can finish top five or six every race weekend I reckon you’ll be knocking on the door of the championship, and we have some really good people working in the team, so I am hopeful we can do that,” said Adam.
“For Chris Hoy to come into the championship is great, and the media interest it has generated is amazing, but he has to be just another competitor we want to beat,” added Jonny.
Not only is the two-time Seat Cupra champion looking forward to welcoming Sir Chris to battle, Adam is also relishing the prospect of lining up against good pal and fellow Fifer Rory Butcher, who has landed a series seat in the Motorbase Performance Aston Martin V12 Vantage GT3.
“Rory and I have known each other since we were 10 or 11, but I’ve never raced against him. We always follow and support each other and it’s a great friendship.
“It’s also a great opportunity for Rory, and I’m sure he’ll be very competitive, but he’s another driver I want to beat,” said Adam.
Scooby Doo topped last week’s pre-season media day timesheets, but the Fife racer says that while that is a confidence booster for Oulton Park it’s no guarantee of where everyone else will be on the day.
“Everyone is pushing the development of their cars, and at a circuit like Oulton Park you realise just how quick they are,” he said.
“We’re a lot more confident on where we were last year and are trying to make an all-round competitive package, but it only shows when you come to the weekend.”