There was joy for Bentley and Seb Morris in their home race as they took victory in the British GT at Oulton Park .
Cheered on by a crowd of thousands, the Team Parker Racing outfit of Morris and Rick Parfitt Jr – racing a Bentley Continental GT of the type that has won races in the international Blancpain GT Series and is made in Crewe – dominated the second race of the day in perfect racing conditions.
It more than made up for the frustrating setback they suffered in the first race of the day, when Seb Morris was blocked in the pitlane by a rival McLaren, costing him precious seconds. The delay meant, despite a spirited comeback, Morris could only finish third when a win was on the cards.
Speaking to The Chronicle, Morris – a former pupil of The King’s School and Abbey Gate College in Chester – said: “Rick had a brilliant start, going up to second, and the car in the lead had a performance-related penalty.
"We did a perfect pitstop, would’ve come out in the lead, but unfortunately a few guys in front of us didn’t understand the rules and a McLaren was parked in the middle of the pitlane."
There were no such mishaps in the second race, however, as Morris rocketed away from pole position to a 12.6-second lead by the time he handed driving duties to team-mate Parfitt, who maintained the gap before an accident involving a GT4 car brought out the red flags to prematurely end the race.
The team were delighted with the result, one which was perhaps unexpected given that Oulton Park, with its narrow twists and turns, is not necessarily as suited to the Bentley as upcoming fast tracks Silverstone and Spa.
"The car is big, but it’s quite nimble," explained 20-year-old Morris.
"It just proves we can be as fast as anyone. It’s a great car to drive and has loads of horsepower and good fun.
"It's aerodynamically strong in high-speed corners and not too bad in the slow-speed stuff either. You can’t really feel the weight in it.
"It’s a fun car to drive and it’s great to be here in front of my home crowd in Cheshire – I could hear them all cheering me on when I was overtaking for third.
"I could see the championship leader gaining on me and I absolutely nailed it on the brakes and just about got it stopped."
The results mean the team have clawed back significant ground in the championship fight, following problems in the first two rounds.
Morris added: "It’s just been little things which have been out of our hands so far, but we have made up some ground.
"We have got the tracks coming up which will really suit us so I’m looking forward to it."
