Shaikh Isa bin Abdulla bin Hamad Al Khalifa’s 2 Seas Motorsport team achieved an impressive victory with two podium finishes at the season opener of the 2024 British GT Championship at Oulton Park Circuit.
The pairing of Ian Loggie and Phil Keen, in the #6 D2-liveried Mercedes-AMG GT3 finished second in the opening race of the season, and finished third in the second race.
Reacting to the achievements, Shaikh Isa said: “After what feels like a long winter break, it is great to be back, and great to be back on the podium straight out of the box. Ian and Phil did a great job all weekend, and were consistently quick across every session. They are two of the championship’s mainstays, and they showed their experience across both races – staying out of trouble, quick laps, and running cleanly to bring home the double podium.”
He added: “Kevin and Max were really unlucky, and it was always going to be a challenge to start from the mid-pack around such a tight circuit. The Safety Cars and cautions limited the opportunities to make further progress, but they both looked strong all weekend, and I am sure they will be back at the front of the field in Silverstone.”
Maximilian Goetz and Kevin Tse struggled with heavy traffic around the tight Cheshire circuit during both races, resulting in them finishing P10 and P17.
Early pace for both cars looked strong ahead of qualifying, and the opening session saw Loggie fighting at the sharp end of the grid from the very start before a red flag. With Tse having not set a time, the pressure was on, but the Hong Kong driver delivered a standout performance to provisionally top the timesheets.
Loggie then quickly responded with a near-identical laptime to his teammate – split by only 0.075s. The pair were pipped to pole position in the dying seconds, before a post-session penalty for Tse promoted Loggie to the front row for the season opener. In the Pro session, Keen continued the strong showing for the #6 entry, running near the front of the field, while Goetz battled with track limits across his early laps. As the session ended, Keen secured P3, while Goetz improved on his banker lap to line up in P13.
Later that afternoon, Race 2 started in wet conditions, with the Pro drivers at the wheel. Keen held position from the start, while Goetz was looking to gain ground in the early stages. Despite a Safety Car in the opening laps, Goetz had gained two positions, and moved into the top-10 shortly before an incident saw the Safety Car scrambled again, just prior to the pit window opening. With a dry line forming around the track, the option to switch to slick tyres opened up the opportunity for some strong battles in the final sprint to the finish.
However, a series of incidents, and prolonged track repairs, minimised the running, meaning limited opportunities for further gains to be made. At the line, both cars held station, as Loggie brought home a second podium in P3, while Tse crossed the line in P10, but a subsequent 10-second penalty dropped them down the order to P17.