- Burgan scores three class podiums including two runners-up placings
Reigning GT Cup Champions United Autosports enjoyed its most successful weekend of the season so far when Phil Burgan claimed two GTO runners-up plus a third placing at Silverstone this weekend (13-14 June). Burgan qualified the Maria Mallaband Care Group Ltd Audi R8 LMS ultra 16th on a wet track for Saturday’s 50mins Main Race but had impressively swept in to ninth at the end of the opening lap after a storming start.
By lap nine, Phil was third and two laps later second before making his compulsory pit-stop which included an additional five second “hold” in the pits due to his third place in the previous race at Rockingham. Phil resumed posting his fastest three laps of the race – his quickest coming two laps from home in the 16-lap race – in which he was placed fifth overall and second in the GTO category when the race was red-flagged due to an on-track incident.
The Audi began Sunday’s first race around the 3.66-mile Silverstone “Grand Prix” circuit from the front row – for the fifth time in 11 races – with Burgan comfortably claiming second place in the 12-lap race staged in dry conditions and followed that up with another podium in the final race after a consistent run to the chequered flag – Phil duly being chosen for the Sunoco Driver of the Weekend Award. The next rounds of the GT Cup Championship are staged at Snetterton, Norfolk, over 25-26 July.
Phil Burgan
“I’ve had a brilliant weekend at a track that we thought wouldn’t be the kindest for the Audi. We leave Silverstone with a good points haul and head for the next races at Snetterton where we believe we’ll be even stronger. Qualifying on Saturday was scary, it was very wet and the Audi was even aquaplaning in a straight line – there was so much standing water on the track – it was a case of just trying to keep the car out of the barriers. It was a similar scenario for the race with a number of cars going off in the very slippery conditions early on. I picked off some other cars, we made our compulsory pit-stop late which went very well, and I then managed to maintain my position to the end.
“A couple of cars took each other out in the early stages of Sunday’s first race and it was just a case of settling down in my own race. I actually went quicker in the race than I had in qualifying which showed I was getting to grips with the track. And again, it was just a case of driving consistently in the third race. It’s been a very confidence boosting weekend”
Richard Dean, Team Owner and Managing Director, United Autosports:
“After the electronics gremlins we endured at Rockingham, we changed the complete wiring loom on the Audi, and Phil has been fantastic at Silverstone in a variety of race conditions despite not testing here before the event. To come away with two second placings and a third in class is a brilliant team performance – at a track I thought wouldn’t be one of the best for us. Phil drove really well this weekend and had his main championship rivals pretty much in his pocket, finishing ahead of them in all three races. Obviously Jim Geddie, who won the title with us last year, is really experienced, so we weren’t really racing him. Snetterton should be even stronger for us!”