James Nicholas and Jamie Caudle shared the victories from a thrilling pair of Ginetta GT Academy races at Silverstone (26/27 April).
Qualifying
Nicholas won both GT Academy races on the Silverstone Grand Prix circuit last season and he was right back at the top of the timesheets this time around, securing pole position by just over two tenths of a second from his E3 Sport team-mate Caudle.
Double Donington Park race-winner Charlie Digby (MDD Racing) qualified third fastest overall ahead of the two leading rookie contenders, with PalmerSport Ginetta Race Scholarship winner Sam Shrimpton (W2R) taking class pole ahead of Shiv Sapra (Paradine by Xentek).
Race One
Nicholas went on to convert pole position into a brilliant lights-to-flag victory in the opening race to become the third different race-winner of 2025. He didn’t have it all his own way at the front of the field though, with Caudle looming large in his mirrors throughout the race.
Digby wasn’t far behind either, with the top three separated by less than a second at the chequered flag. A clear fourth meanwhile was Shrimpton, who pulled clear of the chasing pack to secure a dominant victory in the rookie class ahead of Sapra.
Louis Darling (MDD Racing) was on a charge through the race, gaining three positions including a late overtake on Alex Deighton (Paradine by Xentek) to secure a top six finish. Hot on their heels at the end was Joe Edge (W2R), who completed the rookie class podium alongside Shrimpton and Sapra.
Robin Grimwood (E3 Sport) and Allan Wright (W2R) rounded out the overall top ten ahead of W2R duo Lucie Hodgson and Peter Thompson. Chris Babington (SVG Motorsport) was on course for a top ten finish on his GT Academy debut, before unfortunately slipping back to 13th late on.
Race Two
Nicholas started race two from pole position as well, however a good run out of Copse for the first time allowed Digby to draft ahead. An early change behind saw Shrimpton slip back from third to sixth, before a spin later in the lap at Vale dropped him to tenth overall.
The lead changed hands back again on lap two as Nicholas got through at The Loop. Digby briefly regained the advantage at Village on lap four before Nicholas hit back at the next corner, however Digby’s repeated his opening lap move out of Copse to slot back in front on lap five.
Caudle had latched onto their tail to make it a three-way battle at the front of the field and that put him in a prime position on lap eight, when an attempted move by Nicholas into Brooklands resulted in contact that spun both himself and Digby around.
As Caudle took the lead and ultimately the race victory, Deighton moved up to second. Digby recovered to third and was determined to regain lost ground on the final lap, however contact with Deighton through The Loop resulted in Digby having to retire from the race.
Deighton came home in second overall ahead of rookie victor Edge, who took advantage of action-packed races for his class rivals Shrimpton and Sapra to go from third in class on the grid to the win. Nicholas recovered to fourth overall and a GTA class podium meanwhile.
Shrimpton fought back from his early spin and enjoyed a tremendous battle with Thompson and Darling in the closing laps. Darling finished fifth on the road, but a five-second track limits penalty put him behind Shrimpton and Thompson in the final result.
GTA class pair Grimwood and Hodgson were next up, while a late retirement for Wright opened the door for Damien Duffy (W2R) to score a maiden rookie class podium finish in tenth overall. SVG Motorsport team-mates Gilbert Verdian and Babington completed the race finishers, with Mike West (E3 Sport) unfortunately suffering his second DNF of the event.
In the Chairmans Cup, a class for drivers over the age of 45, Deighton took two wins from two races. Grimwood joined him on the podium after both races, while Wright and Thompson also picked up a trophy each.
Full race results can be found at https://www.tsl-timing.com/event/251705
Both races can be watched back at www.youtube.com/user/ginettatv
The 2025 Ginetta GT Academy season continues later this month (26/27 April) with two races on the Silverstone Grand Prix circuit.
