A strong performance from Zac Meakin and teammate Jack Brown ensured a good haul of points and more silverware, converting a pole position into victory after a dominant race two display at Snetterton last weekend (13/14 July).
The number 90 Optimum Motorsport crew came into the race weekend with a slim three-point advantage at the top of the championship standings, but crucially for their title aspirations, they would not have to serve the additional time penalty for podium success in their pit stop this time.
Things got off to a good start with Jack going third fastest during the first of two qualifying sessions on Saturday to determine the grids for the two races. Zac followed up in the second session by going fastest of all, securing pole position for race two.
Jack started the first hour-long contest at the Norfolk circuit, getting a good start amongst the congested field. Before long he found himself stuck in a Mustang sandwich, unable to pass the Ford in front due to its straight-line performance, but also unable to make the most of the McLaren’s superior cornering ability due to his rival defending. Consequently, the team decided to pit and put Zac in to undercut their rivals. Unfortunately, the plan didn’t work but Zac was still able to bring the car home in fifth place for more valuable championship points.
Race two was a much more straight forward affair, with Zac using the McLaren’s slippery aerodynamic profile to build an 11 second lead in clean air from pole position. Handing over to Jack on lap 17, they initially dropped down the order before the rest of the pit stops played out. A late Safety Car to rescue a stranded car led to a three-lap dash to the flag, but Jack seized the advantage as soon as racing resumed with a bold more around the outside of turn one for the lead.
The result means the duo remain at the top of the GT4 standings with a narrow 2.5 point advantage, but they’ll have to wait seven weeks until the penultimate round of the 2024 season at Donington Park on the 7/8 September.
Zac Meakin commented, “It was a good weekend, just to shame with race one, but we’ll come back with eight trophies next time, instead of four! Qualifying was a little bit difficult, but we still managed to get P1. Jack had a little mistake, which cost us a little bit of time in the last corner, but we were P3 for the first race.
“Race one was a bit difficult against the Mustang GT 3.5! All cars have their advantages, the Mustang makes up all its time down the straights, where we make it around the corners. So, it’s just race ability that’s difficult for us. We were trying to see if we could undercut the Mustangs to try to get a little bit out more in front, so we wouldn’t have to battle with them.
“It’s a pain because we were getting held up a bit, but it’s just how it goes. I tried to pull every trick out of the book to try and get past them, it is very difficult with it being not a single make series, every car has their advantages. I think if it was any other car we would have had a bit more of a chance of passing, it’s just really difficult to actually get past them.
“From pole in race two, we just managed to get in clean air, which the McLaren likes. I got a mega start, and everything just went up and up and up from there. I managed to keep clear of the GT3s, and built a big gap, which made it a little bit easier for Jack against the Pro Ams. Then he put in a brilliant move around the outside for the lead at the first corner, so it’s mega!”