LNT Win Again as Mullen and Niarchos are crowned 2006 British GT Champions

23 October 2006

After torrential rain for the penultimate round of the 2006 Avon Tyres British GT Championship the sun shone for the final race of the season that saw Tom Kimber-Smith and Luke Hines score a double win at Magny Cours. However it wasn’t enough to stop the Ferrari pairing of Tim Mullen and Chris Niarchos finishing the race three places adrift, but scoring 4 points for 2nd and lifting the 2006 Avon Tyres British GT title, adding the 2006 title to the one the Scuderia Ecosse team took in 2005 with Nathan Kinch and Andrew Kirkaldy.

The two rivals lined up side-by-side on the grid and at the start Tim Mullen and Tom Kimber-Smith were battling all the way to the first corner. It was Kimber-Smith who had the advantage and moved ahead the Ferrari. At the end of the opening lap Mullen also found himself behind the other Team LNT Panoz driven by Richard Dean and the French GT2 Toyota of Morgan Moulin-Traffort.

The Scuderia Ecosse team knew they only had to bring the car home to take the title and Mullen wasn’t going to take any chances trying to overtake any of the French GT competitors. However when Kimber-Smith handed over to Luke Hines he had a 20 second advantage, which Hines, despite having to hold the car in gear for the last 15 minutes, capitalized on to bring the mighty Panoz home to end the season on a high note for the Sheffield based team.

The day belonged to Tim Mullen, Chris Niarchos and the whole of the Scuderia Ecosse team as they celebrated taking the British GT Championship – again.

Chris Niarchos (#51 Scuderia Ecosse Ferrari 430 GT2): "It's unbelievable, I've never felt better in my life. It has been difficult because we came here expecting to be strong, but the conditions in the first race just didn't suit us. We knew what we had to do today to be declared British GT champions and we did what we had to do. I never used my turn left signal since the last time I was in a supermarket car park, I was just keeping everybody away from me, drove round and just enjoyed the afternoon. What a result!"

Tim Mullen (#51 Scuderia Ecosse Ferrari 430 GT2): "This is brilliant, we've worked so hard all year and had lots of wins along the way. I'd like to thank Chris and the Scuderia Ecosse team for doing such a good job, working really hard. I'm dead pleased, it's a brilliant feeling!"

Tom Kimber-Smith (#57 Team LNT Panoz Esperante GTLM): "We showed how good we are this weekend, two wins, both me and Luke drove really hard. I don't think the Ferrari boys were pushing us at all in the race. It's been a good year, we're here to do our own thing and that is to win."

Luke Hines (#57 Team LNT Panoz Esperante GTLM): "It's a good end of the season for Team LNT and the Panoz, with the win at Le Mans, a few LMES wins and now this weekend in British GT. I had to nurse it home for the last 10 laps, the gearbox went. It was my first time having to work how to hold a car in one piece for 15 minutes. I have to hand it to the Le Mans drivers, if they get that in 24 hours it's very hard work. This year has been a good learning curve for me and I'm pleased that Tom and I could show this weekend that we had the pace. Everyone remember who won the last races and it was good that it was us."

SRO

See 2006 series calendar for British GT Championship

Related Story 21.10.2006 - LNT Splash to a Dominant British GT Win as Scuderia Ecosse Falter in the Rain