British GT Brands Hatch 03/10/2004

Sumpter takes two top five finishes

Mark Sumpter completed his 2004 British GT Championship campaign with a fourth and a fifth place at Brands Hatch (2/3 October) as he drove solo in the Paragon Porsche-backed Porsche 911GT3RS.

Mike Jordan was advised by his doctor not to race as he was still recovering from a slight head injury. This left Mark to drive solo for the two hour-long races on the Brands Indy circuit.  

A fifth place grid position for the first race was a good start for the weekend. However, a tenth place starting position for race two was the legacy of a spin into the gravel at Paddock Hill Bend on oil dropped by a TVR.  “I knew that I’d got to push as the session was coming to an end and Dave had come on the radio that I’d got two laps left. I went in to the corner and never saw the oil, but it certainly felt different as I went in,” said Mark. “It swapped ends so quickly and I was very lucky not to hit the tyres and just come to a halt in the gravel,” he added.  

A great run to fourth place in race one ended in Sumpter chasing down the Eclipse TVR for the final podium position. The Paragon Porsche crossed the line less than a second adrift at the chequered flag having lost time when caught behind a TVR that was a lap down. By the time Mark battled ahead of the other car, he just ran out of time to attack for third.  In race two, treacherously wet conditions made it difficult for Mark to get into a rhythm and a safety car period wiped out the advantage he would have enjoyed as the newly installed drivers got up to speed in the conditions.  

In the final few laps of the race Mark set his quickest times of the afternoon and was once again chasing home the Eclipse car, this time for fourth place. A half second deficit at the flag was just a little bit too much for him to overcome though.  “Mark’s done really well this weekend,” said team boss Mike Jordan. 

“He has had an awful lot of pressure on him as I normally set the car up during the free-practice session. He’s done all of that and driven both races by himself!"