Jota Sport faces a race against time after the Brands Hatch GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup crash

Kent team Jota Sport faces a race against time to fix their McLaren after its car broke the barriers in a dramatic accident at Brands Hatch.

The team, based near Tunbridge Wells, led the first race of the GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup on Sunday with less than five minutes from the end of the accident.

Driver Ollie Wilkinson got away unharmed, but the team now only has a few days to prepare the 720S machine for its next event at the Nürburgring in Germany this weekend.

Yorkshire’s Wilkinson lapped the Tempesta Racing Ferrari at Dingle Dell when it was tagged by second-placed Auto Sport Promotion Mercedes driver Raffaele Marciello.

The contact skewed Wilkinson off the track at about 115 mph, with the McLaren breaking the barriers before coming to a halt on an embankment above the circuit.

Former Ferrari F1 junior driver Marciello took the checkered flag but the incident was investigated and the Italian was fined for causing a collision.

He received a stop-go penalty that was converted into a 40-second follow-up penalty that put the Mercedes on 17th.

Jota has been racing at Le Mans for years, but rarely competes at Brands Hatch. Image: SRO

Jota’s chief engineer Nathan McColl said the crew supported the stewards’ decision.

“It was an unfortunate incident for everyone involved – nobody wants to see that – but the cars are extremely fast on an extremely demanding track and you have to treat that with respect,” he said.

“We feel like our competitor hasn’t really treated it with the respect it deserves, but the stewards handled everything and we’re happy with the decision.

“Our main focus now is on preparing the car and preparing everything for the next lap on the Nürburgring.

“We hope that with a parts supply we will have the car ready for the Nürburgring for Tuesday evening.

A field of 28 cars entered the 2.4-mile Grand Prix loop for two races on Sunday. Image: SRO

“It’s going to be a round-the-clock effort from everyone on the team to get there, but that’s motorsport and that’s why the guys do what they do. They are the best of the best and we will do it. “

Wilkinson’s team-mate Ben Barnicoat had taken a stormy run in the first half of the race and climbed from third to first in just half a lap.

The Chesterfield ace took the lead when he passed Marciello’s teammate Timur Boguslavskiy on the outside at Hawthorn.

Barnicoat took pole on Saturday but was later penalized for weaving. Image: SRO

Then he built a large gap at the head of the field before pitting after half an hour to hand over to Wilkinson.

Barnicoat, a former McLaren F1 junior, had put the 720S in pole position during Saturday’s qualifying but was later penalized for spinning on the approach to Clark’s corner.

The stewards ruled that his weaving had hampered two drivers’ qualifying laps and a two-place penalty dropped him to third on the grid.

The Jota team had to skip the second race after Wilkinson’s serious fall. Image: SRO

“It was a great first stint and I was really happy that it went like this because the penalty I received after qualifying was not fair and not the right penalty in my opinion,” said Barnicoat.

“I knew I wanted to take the lead on the first lap as it is a very difficult track to overtake. I had a great run from Surtees, saw my chance and took it.”

“From then on there was no looking back; the pace of the car was exceptional and the Jota guys tuned the McLaren perfectly.”

“He’s one of the best talents in Great Britain, certainly in GT racing …”

Barnicoat, who had previously driven only once on the 2.4-mile Grand Prix circuit, said Wilkinson was “definitely the innocent victim” in the accident at the end of the race.

“I was very happy with my stint but it’s just a shame that ends,” he added.

“To be able to do such a stint on home soil is something I’m really proud of.

The GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup returned to Brands Hatch for the first time since May 2019. Image: SRO

“There’s nothing like starting from the front of a race 20 seconds behind; it shows that everyone involved has done a great job.”

Wilkinson, who only started racing in 2017, lost time by slowly exiting the pits, but was still 10 seconds ahead when he got back on track.

Quickly overtaken by the fast-charging Marciello, the Leeds racer was examined at the circuit’s medical center after the accident but later returned to the Jota garage without injuries.

The Audi crew of Team WRT around Dries Vanthoor and Charles Weerts took the title on Sunday – the eighth Sprint Cup crown of the WRT. Image: SRO

“I’m fine, luckily, a little battered and battered, but in much better shape than the car – its outstanding strength is really a testament to McLaren,” he said.

“I’m just so disappointed with all of us, Ben and the crew did another excellent job all weekend and that’s not a reward.

“It is really disappointing that we are denied the chance to really fight for our first race win. Equally frustrating is the consequence that we may now have to miss the next round of the GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup at the Nürburgring.”

McLaren 720S body in the rear of the Jota garage on Sunday afternoon

Despite the disappointment, Sydney-born McColl, who previously worked as a race engineer at Supercars in Australia, was thrilled with the speed of the McLaren.

“We’ve had really good support from McLaren – it’s our first year with the car – and we’re very happy with it,” he said.

“Before the unfortunate accident, we showed what we and McLaren can do.

“We’re not new to sports car racing, but we’re new to the GT3 class and it’s exciting to be leading a race as Jota in the championship in our first real year.”

The organizers rescheduled the event from its usual May date to allow spectators to attend. Image: SRO

McColl praised Barnicoat, who drove at Brands Hatch for the first time in November 2015, when he beat current McLaren F1 star Lando Norris to the BRDC Formula 4 Autumn Trophy title.

“We can’t be happier with what Ben has produced – he’s been exceptional for the team over the past few months and hopefully we can continue this partnership long into the future,” he said.

“He’s one of the UK’s best talents, certainly in GT racing.

Barnicoat, driver of Fortec Motorsport, won the BRDC Formula 4 Autumn Trophy title at Brands Hatch in 2015. Photo: Simon HildrewAt the age of only 16, Lando Norris started the BRDC Formula 4 Autumn Trophy for HHC Motorsport at Brands Hatch in November 2015. Here he chases the 18-year-old Barnicoat through druids in an event that attracted five starters. Image: Simon Hildrew

“I told him on Saturday when he got the penalty that he only had to do a solid job on the first round and that he would probably be first – and that is exactly what he did.

“We know what an exceptional talent Ben is and he showed it in the first round.”

The second Sprint Cup race, which ran without an iota from Frant, was won by Luca Stolz and Maro Engel’s Mercedes Team Toksport WRT machine after Boguslavskiy and Marciello had a puncture on the last lap.

Vanthoor and Weerts finished in second place, finishing the Sprint Cup title in 2021 with two laps outstanding next month.

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