George Grant continued his strong 2024 season with another excellent performance, this time at Autódromo Internacional do Algarve in Portugal. Returning to the Algarve Classic, Grant was joined by former Mazda MX-5 SuperCup Masters champion Nick Rutter, with the pair taking on the event in an FIA 1965 MGB Roadster. Both drivers were quick in testing on Friday, despite intermittent drizzle. On Saturday, the rain returned heavier than before, with qualifying run in wet weather. Thriving in the damp conditions, Grant was on the pace, taking pole position in the GT2 category. The drivers were greeted with bright sunshine and a dry track for the race, which Grant began. The Clapham North MOT owner got off to a great start, making up positions and lapping strongly before entering the pits to hand the Rob Boston Racing car over to Rutter. However, on his way down the pitlane, Grant was mistakenly ushered into parc fermé to refuel, costing the team over 30 seconds before the confusion was cleared and the Kingston-upon-Thames driver was allowed to drive into the correct pit box. Despite the lost time, Rutter drove fantastically in his first racing outing of the campaign, keeping up the strong pace to bring the duo back into contention for class victory. Grant returned to the driver’s seat for the final stages of the race, chasing down the leading car in class, eventually finishing just nine seconds behind at the end of the two-hour enduro. Grant’s final event of 2024 is the Race of Remembrance next weekend, teaming up with Will Blackwell-Chambers at Anglesey Circuit for the 12-hour race. George Grant: “The Algarve Classic is always a great event to be a part of and I was delighted to team up with my good friend and former Mazda MX-5 SuperCup competitor Nick Rutter. I really enjoyed qualifying in the rain, and for us to take pole position in class was a fantastic result. In the race, I got a strong start and set some solid lap times before the drama started! Unfortunately, I was told to go into the re-fuelling area when I pitted. Thinking the race was being stopped or we were being penalised, I asked a marshal what was going on and it turns out they just thought we had to re-fuel! That cost us a lot of time, but Nick drove admirably in his first race of the season to bring us back into contention. We had a chance of victory, but weren’t quite able to catch the winning car. Nevertheless, a podium is a solid result and a big thank you to the Rob Boston Racing team and to Nick for being a great teammate. I’m also very grateful to GT Sports Car Club for organising the event and to Flavien and Vanessa Marçais from Automobile Historique for ensuring everything ran smoothly. Now I’m looking forward to finishing my season alongside Will Blackwell-Chambers at the Race of Remembrance!”
Nick Rutter: “First of all, a big thanks to the Rob Boston Racing team, they did an amazing job to get the car ready and it ran beautifully throughout the race. Thanks also to George and Clapham North MOT for the amazing opportunity to tick off this bucket list event. We put on a great show despite limited testing and I loved racing on the fantastic Portimao circuit. It was a privilege to be on track at the same time as some iconic cars, and we performed superbly, although unfortunately we didn’t quite get the win!”
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George Grant started his 10th year in motorsport at Silverstone, competing in the SuperSport Endurance Cup alongside Abbie Eaton, as well as individually taking part in the Clapham North-supported Mazda MX-5 Super Cup, securing positive results in both. The Kingston-upon-Thames driver paired up with Abbie Eaton in the SuperSport Endurance Championship. Eaton will be working alongside George this season on race preparation as well as driving. A tight qualifying meant the pair started 22nd overall, but showed brilliant race pace to produce an amazing result, finishing first in the Club B class and 10th overall. The Clapham North MOT owner would begin his Mazda MX-5 Super Cup campaign with a fifth-place finish in class later that day. A wet Silverstone greeted the drivers on Sunday, but Grant would thrive in these conditions around the International Circuit. Starting 22nd, he produced a masterful wet weather drive to get a class podium in second, and 12th overall for Clapham North MOT powered by Rob Boston Racing. Abbie Eaton: “I’m pleased to have secured the win in the opening race of the SuperSport Endurance Cup this weekend alongside George. I’m happy to see George adjusting to the car and the differences in tyres from last season. I’m excited to work alongside George this season and hopefully, we can produce more results like this.”
George Grant: “I’m delighted to have Abbie Eaton on board for this season to help with preparation and strategy as well as the driving element. We delivered a brilliant win in the SuperSport Endurance Cup with me starting and finishing the race, but Abbie produced a crucial middle stint to get us back into a winning position. “Also on Saturday, the Mazda MX-5 Supercup got underway. I had a decent race, finishing fifth in class, but unfortunately there was an incident involving my teammate Will Blackwell-Chambers early on, so I’m sending him my best wishes and hoping to see him back on track soon! “The following day, the Silverstone track was wet and I completed one of my best races ever, finishing second in class and with excellent pace! This result meant I would start 12th for Race 3, but unfortunately some contact forced us to retire early. Overall, it was a very positive week with a win and another podium so it’s a good starting point, and I’m looking forward to heading to Snetterton in April.” Images - © Carlton's Photography and James Roberts |
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