Andrew Gordon-Colebrooke recovered from early setbacks to bag a spectacular GT4 podium from the back of the grid in the latest British GT Championship meeting at Snetterton this past weekend (7/8 August).
Fresh off the back of an exciting performance at Spa-Francorchamps two weeks ago, the Buckhinghamshire racer swapped the Ardennes for the 2.99-mile 300 circuit in Norfolk hoping to add more silverware to his increasing collection.
Sitting second in the overall GT4 championship behind his BMW team-mates, the Century Motorsport driver enjoyed some early testing miles on Friday afternoon and confirmed that the M4 GT4 would again be a force to be reckoned with in the class with times consistently in the top four.
That pace transferred into the pair of free practice sessions on Saturday, but mother nature made it tougher to find a clear picture of performance as heavy rain interrupted the second hour-long test on a day of changeable conditions. A dry qualifying greeted Gordon-Colebrooke later on Saturday afternoon, but a brake issue during his own outing stymied his opportunity and limited the team to seventh in class for the first of two races.
Sunday brought with it a pair of opportunities for success, with two shorter one-hour races taking place across the day. Gordon-Colebrooke's Century Motorsport car was started by co-driver Chris Salkeld when race one came around, running up in seventh spot before the switch was made. Unfortunately, a wheel bearing issue put an early end to the race and required a half shaft change ahead of the second race later in the afternoon.
Despite the setback and starting the second race of the day from the back of the field as a result of the brake dramas encountered the previous day, Gordon-Colebrooke started the #9 BMW in a determined mood, looking to make amends and turn his fortunes around as the heavens opened.
An intense opening lap in the GT4 class in soaking conditions played into the BMW driver's favour, leapfrogging several cars in the opening two corners before dodging a four-car incident ahead to jump from 13th to fifth in a matter of seconds.
The Gordon-Colebrooke charge continued when he slipped by Matt Cowley's Ford Mustang on lap nine of the hour-long contest, handing the car over to Salkeld in fourth which soon become third as the sister BMW M4 suffered a penalty. Chasing the leaders, the car moved up to second place with 10 minutes to go, and finished just under three seconds from an overall GT4 class victory.
His third podium finish of the season cemented the #9 car's position as the chaser in the GT4 championship battle, which next continues at Oulton Park with another double-header on 11/12 September.
Andrew Gordon-Colebrooke:“It's funny how fortune evens out in the end. For all the bad luck we've had this weekend, we've been repaid and it balanced itself out.
"In that second race I just wanted to go out there and get my head down, and go as quick as I can. We cashed in when others had misfortune which we managed to get through early on, and once it cleared up in the end I was able to adapt to the conditions and keep up a strong pace.
"We were evenly matched so I made sure not to lose time, and then hung on to hand over to Chris to keep the McLarens at bay and chase after the leaders at the end. We consolidated what we had and brought home another great result."
Image from Jakob Ebrey Photography.