Patrick Kibble will be returning to the Intelligent Money British GT Championship for the 2020 season continuing where he left off in 2019.

Kibble will once again be behind the wheel of an Aston Martin in the GT4 class alongside teammate Connor O’Brien for TF Sport.

Speaking to Kent Sports News about continuing in the British GT Championship, Kibble said: “We definitely considered competing in other championships, whether they were in the UK or in Europe. Ultimately, we decided to stick with British GT on the basis that I will return with experience and hopes that I can challenge for the title in 2020.

“This year will be my first season since karting, where I will be returning for a second season in a championship, so it is definitely a new feeling for myself.”

For the second season in a row Patrick will be racing with TF Sport which means they can continue the relationship and understanding they built up in 2019.

He added: “I am very pleased to be staying with TF Sport for another year, I felt like it was the most logical option to take seeing as they were GT4 team’s champions last year and of course, I have a lot of experience with the car and a good relationship with all the guys in the team! I think it is important that I stayed with the team, as we hope to get the best possible result out of the season as we can.”

Last year saw Kibble make his debut in the British GT Championship and it was something of a learning curve for the young racing driver.

“I did learn a lot of new things in 2019 from a variety of different areas. GT racing was completely different from what I was used to, so I had to learn some new skills in order to be competitive. The championship had an extremely high level of driver, so I believe my race craft was improved to be able to be racing at the front of the pack.

“And, of course, I had to get used to driving a new car, in the Aston Martin Vantage, where I had to change aspects of my driving style in order to get the pace out of the car. Overall, I loved driving the car, and I can’t wait to be racing in it again for this year!”

Looking at the highlights of a learning year in the race series, the undoubted highlight for the 17-year-old was racing at Spa.

He said: “Finishing on the podium for my first time racing around Spa will be something I will always remember, the track is amazing, and obviously the history that belongs to the track just makes the result even better.

“My pole position at the Silverstone 500 will also be one of my highlights of the season, we were just very unfortunate to have an issue with the car during the race which took our lead off of us.”

We wanted to know if Patrick had set himself any targets for his second season in the race series and he certainly has a target in mind.

He added: “As myself and my co-driver, Connor O’Brien, are returning to the championship for our second seasons, our target is definitely to be challenging for the championship. Our pace at the media day was very promising, therefore we will be going into each race knowing we have the pace to be able to win!”

Having driven in Ginetta Juniors and the British GT we asked Patrick whether there is any comparison or whether it is a case of completely changing driving styles.

He said: “Ginetta Juniors and British GT are very different in many areas. For starters, the cars in British GT are much more powerful so the driving style has to change in order to not over-drive or lose time across the lap. The races in Ginetta Juniors are much shorter in length, meaning there is usually closer racing, which is mainly where I learned my race craft.

“The longer races in British GT require you to make the car last the whole length of the race, being up to three hours, and understanding you have to hand the car over to your co-driver in the best condition.”

Finally with the lockdown currently in the UK we wanted to know how Patrick was keeping fit and ready to hit the track when we can go racing later in the year.

He added: “During lockdown, I have been making sure I do a home workout every day and often go on runs to make sure my fitness is still in good condition for when we return to racing. For GT racing it’s very important to remain fit, as the races are much longer compared to sprint races. It definitely helps for when you are near the end of the stint and aiming to still get the maximum out of the car.”

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