Beechdean AMR end British GT season with strong second-place finish
Beechdean AMR finished the British GT Championship season on a high at Brands Hatch last Sunday as Andrew Howard and new co-driver Tom Wood scored their best result of 2024 and broke the series lap record.
The second-place finish in the Silver-Am class was the High Wycombe team’s third podium result of the year with the #97 Aston Martin Vantage GT3 and its most convincing weekend-long performance as well.
The pace of the Vantage was evident from practice and pre-qualifying as Aston Martin Lagonda Pro driver Wood – who had never previously raced a GT3 car – showed his obvious talent.
Two-time British GT Champion Howard set the fastest time in Silver-Am during the opening phase of qualifying by just over 0.1 seconds. Combined with Wood’s speed in Q2, the pair qualified a season’s-best second in class and ninth overall.
Keeping out of trouble at the start, Howard maintained position through the opening 40 minutes and raced hard to reach the pit window fourth in class.
Slick pitwork enabled #97 to rejoin the circuit after the mid-race driver changes in third spot as the appearance of the safety car bunched the field together.
An opportunist move as the green flag waved with 40 minutes left brought Castle Donington racer Wood up to second in class.
He put the hammer down immediately to not only set the race’s best laptime and bag the Sunoco Fastest Lap Award, but to do so by sensationally breaking the series lap record by almost half a second.
In doing so he uniquely made Beechdean AMR the only team in British GT to have won the Fastest Lap Award with both its Silver and Bronze drivers in a single season; Howard having scooped the honours at a wet Oulton Park season-opener in April.
With the safety car called out again just three minutes later for another incident, the race was neutralised and continued at slow, non-racing speeds to the chequered flag.
The result – Beechdean AMR’s third Silver-Am podium of the year – sends the squad into the winter break on a high. The new British GT season begins at Donington Park on April 5-6
Andrew Howard, Team Principal, said: “I’m so pleased that we could end the season not just with our best result of 2024, but with a second-place finish that was gained on merit, rather than by attrition. As for Tom… To come into the team so late, race like he did in that melee and break the lap record on his GT3 debut is a real credit to him and show’s what a natural racer he is. Ultimately it’s been a tough season with really limited testing with what was a brand-new car for 2024, but this is a great way to end things on a high and everyone in the team can be proud of the job they’ve done here.”
Tom Wood said: “This weekend has been a dream come true and I have to say a huge thank you to Andrew for the opportunity and to the whole team for giving me and Aston Martin and a support structure that gave me the chance to show the best of myself. I just wanted to do the best job I could and I’m pleased with my performance. The pass for second just as the safety car pulled in was one I was pleased with and to get the fastest lap on my GT3 debut was something I wasn’t expecting either. It’s been an amazing experience and I hope I’ll be able to do it again soon.”
