Esmee Hawkey scored two podium finishes as the GT Cup championship returned to the Donington Park circuit for rounds 15, 16 & 17. The East Midlands circuit hosted the opening rounds on the national circuit but the drivers would this time take on the full Grand Prix circuit configuration.
Qualifying on Saturday morning went well for the Kent-based youngster with Esmee able to secure third in the GTA group, behind the faster Ginetta G55 of Daniel O’Brien and Sam Webster. The three would remain almost inseparable, circulating nose to tail for the majority of the race. In the final minutes, Esmee spotted her opportunity and made a move up the inside of O‘Brien into the Melbourne Hairpin for second place. Similarly close racing would characterise race two with the trio again fighting it out over the duration with Esmee ultimately coming home in third place for her second podium of the weekend.
“We qualified third for the first race and kept that position throughout,” said Esmee. “I knew we were a bit slower than Daniel O’Brien so it was going to be difficult to pass him. The team came on the radio and told me there was five minute to go so I thought now is the time do it. I got up the inside of him into the hairpin and made the move. It was a really close battle and I had to defend a lot but I held on to it. It was just as close in race two. I think the pace stepped up and we were more consistent but so was O’Brien and Webster. The Ginettas are still faster than the Cayman because we are waiting for the upgrade package, but it was a good race and I’m happy with third place.”
A minor error in qualifying on Sunday saw Esmee carry too much speed into the chicane after the fast back straight in an attempt to bring the race to the Ginetta. The car pitched one way and as Esmee caught it the car ran wide and glanced the barrier. The damage was largely superficial but it meant she couldn’t continue to set a time and started race three from the back of the grid. The team tried to be strategic in the race to make up for lost time and called Esmee into the pits just as the safety car was deployed for an incident. Unfortunately the call was a little too early so she had to drive through the pits and pit again with the rest of the field. Despite this, the Cayman Clubsport came home for a top ten finish in the group but more importantly another points haul for Esmee’s championship challenge.
“Sunday was a different day,” said Esmee. “I had a lot to learn from and a lot I have learnt from. We tried to be clever and get in an early pit stop because of the safety car but there was a bit of miss-communication so we entered the pit lane about 20 seconds before the pit window officially opened so we couldn’t stop. It didn’t quite work out, which was a shame but we still got a finish and the points.”
“We’ll be trying hard for Silverstone and hopefully we’ll be on the pace and have the upgrade package. I’ve driven the GP circuit once but I love the track and really looking forward to it.”
The next race for Esmee will be at Silverstone, The home of British motorsport, around the full Grand Prix circuit on the 10th & 11th September.