Benjamin enters his third season in the SRO-run GT championship as the youngest amongst 129 of the best GT drivers in the world, sharing the #30 Team WRT Audi R8 LMS GT3 with long-time coach Stuart Hall, and 21-year-old British youngster James Pull.
The weekend started with a strong run during the official tests, however, a challenging qualifying session placed the #30 squad in P18 on the 44-car grid. Stuart took the start, but 20 minutes into the race, heavy rain arrived, making conditions very difficult. Stuart completed a solid opening stint without any mistakes unlike several other drivers and handed the car over to his teammate.
Benjamin took over the wheel of the #30 WRT Audi just before the 1-hour mark from P22 on a drying track. The 18-year-old had a terrific run, carving himself through the pack in a race thwarted by multiple safety car periods and countless punctures. Unfazed by the tricky conditions, Benji handled the situation like a professional and completed a faultless stint, handing the car over to James Pull in P8 overall, and the young Brit completed the job in a perfect manner, crossing the line in P6, and second in the Silver Cup standings.
This result comes after a fantastic 2nd place finish for Benji earlier this year with Team WRT in the 24H of Dubai.
‘’Such a great way to start the GTWCE season in a race with a mix of wet and dry conditions.”– said Benjamin. “The team was flawless throughout the entire weekend, and my teammates Stuart and James did a fantastic job as well. It’s a tough championship, but we have what it takes to score our first win together. I can’t wait for the next round at Paul Ricard.”
Benji – who runs a double-campaign this year – will next race in the first round of the GTWCE Sprint Cup on May 7-8 in Magny-Cours.