Team Parker Racing enjoyed a sixth-place finish with its SD Team liveried Porsche 911 GT3 R to open the 2021 British GT Championship on the fabled Brands Hatch Grand Prix circuit, in Kent, at the weekend (May 22/23).

Making a switch to the German marque’s machinery for this season, as part of a team-wide alignment to race across the Porsche motorsport pyramid, the team worked hard on both days to get the car dialled in and reaped the rewards during the two-hour contest on Sunday afternoon, happily in front of trackside fans for the first time since the 2019 campaign.

Trying small changes during practice the day prior, the team struggled to get the car to balance well over the kerbs, particularly on the quick sections on the Grand Prix loop, where valuable time can be made or lost, leading to disappointment with an 11th place qualifying performance after both Nick Jones and Scott Malvern qualified the car.

However, refusing to give up, further tweaks and changes were made overnight, which left both drivers feeling confident after a short morning warm-up. Nick, the ‘Am’ driver started the race, and was quickly in the mix, having a long battle with Lucky Khera's Lamborghini. Despite his best efforts though, he was unable to find a way past as the two machines had strengths in different parts of the circuit.

Seeing the chance to play their part, the team did a sterling job during the mandatory pit-stop just after the hour mark, with a rapid service which enabled Scott to not only jump the Lamborghini, but also moved the pair up another spot as a Bentley served a drive-through penalty.

With two other cars having come together during the first hour, this meant he emerged in sixth position and, once he had the pace to see off any possible challenge from the Bentley, ran a lonely but consistent race to the flag, scoring a good haul of points to open the season and give himself, Nick, and the team a solid base to build on for the rest of the year.

Nick, Scott, and Team Parker Racing will be back in action in the Porsche 911 GT3 R for the season-highlight, three-hour, Silverstone 500 over the weekend of June 26/27.

Nick Jones

“I had a really good stint and enjoyed the race. I got involved with a few other drivers which was nice, and the car felt great too. I ended up in a battle with a Lamborghini and I just couldn’t get past for about 20 laps, though it wasn’t for the want of trying!

“We still have some way to go to get the most out of it, but I enjoyed the race as the 911 GT3 R was a lot better than it was in both practice and qualifying, so hopefully it’s a step forwards we can build on for next time we race, at Silverstone.”

Scott Malvern

“We did what we said we were going to do, which was stay out of trouble. My stint was pretty boring as I didn’t really see any other GT3 cars either in front or behind me! Nick did a really great job and he stuck with the pack which kept us in the race, so when there were places to take and pick off, we got them, so I am happy with the result for the first time in the car.

“We were very tight on our pit stop which was good, the boys did a great job getting the tyres changed and getting me in the car, so there’s plenty to build on and we’re happy with what we’ve come away with.”

Photos Jakob Ebrey Photography