Jolt Racing Battles Through Drama to Triple Podium
Jolt Racing enjoyed a strong return to the GT Cup Championship at Donington Park last weekend, collecting three GTH-class podium finishes across four races.
Saturday began with a solid qualifying performance from Rupert Williams, whose 1:38.366 lap placed the Jolt Racing McLaren Artura GT4 fifth in class. From there the first race quickly turned dramatic. Teammate John Ingram launched off the line with a lightning start, weaving through early chaos to gain eight places on the opening lap and slot into fourth in class.
As the more powerful GT3 and GT3 machines overtook on the straights, he found himself pinned behind the #63 GTC Lamborghini with few overtaking opportunities. When the third-in-class #95 Aston Martin spun ahead, John made the move up to third in class with his eyes on the podium. Focusing on tyre pressures and steady pace, John held position and eventually crossed the line third in class, collecting the team’s first trophy of the weekend.
The second race brought a harsh reminder of how quickly fortunes can change as contact on the opening lap, through no fault of Ingram, caused significant damage that forced the team to retire the car.
The team worked tirelessly to repair the car overnight and the mighty effort bought them two further opportunities on Sunday. With morning practice bringing cold and damp conditions, the session was red flagged early, but Rupert Williams remained in the car to take charge of qualifying and putting the car fourth in class for the 50-minute pit-stop race.
He made a clean start and stayed out of trouble early on, beginning to build his rhythm as he sat fourth in class. But as drama emerged ahead with multiple cars, Rupert moved up into second in class as the safety car made an early appearance.
When the pit window opened, the team dove into the pit lane with John climbing on board before re-emerging first in class with the #82 Aston Martin hot on his tail. Despite holding steady, the #82 Aston Martin found a way through on lap 17, but John managed the closing stages perfectly as incidents thinned the field, bringing the car home second in the GTH class.
The weekend concluded with the sprint race as Rupert Williams avoided first-lap drama and settled into a steady rhythm as he worked his way up to third in class, sealing not only a third podium but also driver of the day.
“It was a challenging start to the weekend, but the car felt great, and the team gave us a perfect machine to fight with. I’m proud of how we bounced back after race two and finished strong on Sunday,” said John Ingram.
“We made great progress this weekend. It was up and down, but the team really pulled through and we’re ready to continue this momentum into the British GT finale,” said Rupert Williams.
The team return to Donington Park on 4/5 October for the British GT season finale, where they look to secure a positive conclusion to their 2025 season.
Photo by David Lord.