BRDC ‘Rising Star’ wraps-up 2016 title in style at iconic Spa Circuit Emphatic tally of 12 wins from 16 race starts – with three rounds to goXentek Motorsport driver leaves Spa with unassailable 151 point leadTitle success follows two seasons as Runner-UpChadwick now contemplating motor racing options for 2017
Xentek Motorsport driver Ollie Chadwick is the 2016 Protyre Motorsport Ginetta GT5 Challenge Champion after a sensational weekend at Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium – the Tetbury racer taking two victories and one other podium en-route to a dominant, and richly deserved, title triumph.
Wrapping-up the Championship crown in style with victory in Race 2 of the weekend, on Friday afternoon, having only just missed out on the Race 1 win by a mere 0.027 seconds, the BRDC Rising Star went on to claim his 12th victory of the season in Race 3 on Saturday morning.
Having been incredibly close to lifting the GT5 Challenge title over the past two years - only losing out on the title last year through a heart-breaking final race mechanical failure - this weekend’s title victory caps off an outstanding campaign for Ollie and the Xentek Motorsport team.
Starting Round 14 from second position on the grid, Ollie traded the lead of the race with pole position qualifier, TCR’s Matt Chapman, and only just missed out on the win by 27 thousandths of a second on the breath-taking sprint to the chequered flag.
In Round 15, the Gloucestershire driver again enjoyed a fantastic door handle-to-door handle battle with chief rival Chapman, but this time Ollie secured the victory by 0.3 seconds. Needing the bonus point for ‘fastest lap’ to put the championship title beyond reach, he duly delivered with a time of 2m50.045 seconds.
Race 3 of the weekend was curtailed at the beginning of lap six, following a red flag stoppage due to an on-track incident. With the result taken back to the end of lap four, Ollie won again – this time by 0.5 seconds – and also posted yet another fastest lap of 2m50.486 seconds.
Ollie now heads into a nine-week summer break in the Ginetta GT5 calendar, with the season finale at Donington Park Grand Prix Circuit over the weekend 10th/11th September. He will arrive at the Leicestershire venue with an incredible, and unassailable, 151 point lead at the top of the championship.
Ollie Chadwick:“Fantastic weekend at Spa and delighted to have finally sewn up the GT5 title. I love racing these cars, adore this circuit, and really enjoyed the tight racing around here with Matt [Chapman]. He and his car were quick, so it was a proper fight to the wire.
“None of this would be possible without the guys at Xentek, especially Chris, Nick, and my engineer Bert. And, of course, Ginetta for all they do for British motorsport – launching so many careers – and SRO and TOCA for the excellent British GT and TOCA packages on which we are able to race.
“This will be my final season in Ginetta GT5s, as I’ve achieved all I can, but I would highly recommend it as a brilliant series for close racing, within a realistic budget, on a prestige package.
“I’ve yet to decide on my next move. My priority is to enjoy my racing, although I do feel I am now a very quick and dependable driver, so I have plenty to offer. Some testing will follow, but GT racing in some capacity is likely to be the future direction.” Ollie Chadwick Ginetta GT5 Challenge Career Stats 2014-2016
2016 Ginetta GT5 Challenge Champion 2015 Ginetta GT5 Challenge Runner-Up2014 Ginetta GT5 Challenge Runner-Up
Total Race Starts – 57 (3 races yet to be contested)Total Wins – 24Total Podiums – 47 Total Pole Positions – 25Total Fastest Laps – 31
