Reigning British GT champion Kiern Jewiss topped the timesheets on his final flying lap at the checkered flag of pre-qualifying for the Silverstone 500 season opener.
2 Seas Motorsport continued their strong momentum from the opening free practice session by putting two cars in the top three again, with Barwell’s #63 Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO2 driver Hugo Cook having held the top spot until Jewiss’s late lap.
The session faced early disruption when Steven Lake of the #69 Mahiki Racing McLaren 720S GT3 EVO stopped on the right-hand side of the Hangar Straight after a wheel nut came loose, and so completed no more laps.
Except for the #69 McLaren, the entire 17-car GT3 field was covered by 1.5 seconds.
Jewiss’s 1:58.851 narrowly beat Cook’s benchmark time of 1:58.888, as Andrew Gilbert put in a promising lap time of 1:58.966 in the #15 2 Seas Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo.
Jarrod Waberski came fourth in the highest-placed Silver-Am car, the #78 Barwell Lamborghini, with a 1:59.060.
Aston Martin factory driver Ross Gunn finished fifth in the #7 Beechdean Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 Evo after he set a 1:59.174.
Ben Barnicoat went third provisionally, with his 1:59.211 putting him in sixth in the end.
BMW works driver Dan Harper put the #91 Paradine BMW M4 GT3 Evo in seventh, after his 1:59.219 lap time.
Last year’s GT4 outright and Pro-Am champion, Jack Brown, put his #90 Optimum McLaren in eighth with a 1:59.435.
Ferrari-contracted driver Matt Griffin took ninth in the #55 Barwell Lamborghini after he set a 1:59.496, ahead of the #44 Century Motorsport BMW of Charles Clark, rounding out the top-10.
The #61 West Surrey Racing BMW M4 GT4 Evo was quickest in the GT4 field with Ernie Graham setting a 2:10.184.
Revie Lake followed in the #84 Mahiki McLaren Artura GT4 in second place, highest in the GT4 Silver rankings, with a 2:10.324.
Tom Bradshaw claimed third for the #42 Torre Verde GT Ginetta G56 GT4 Evo (2:10.331) ahead of the #21 MK Racing Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4 Evo (2:10.437) which was a late addition to the session after a brake change, Jessica Hawkins setting the time.
BTCC race winner Ronan Pearson rounded out the top five in the #97 GBR Stratton Aston Martin (2:10.618).
Qualifying is set to decide the grid for tomorrow’s three-hour enduro at 15:45.
