The opening race of the weekend proved to be one of the most intriguing in recent GT4 SuperCup history, with some sudden rainfall as the field collected in the assembly area leading to a tricky decision on tyres and a near 50/50 split on the grid between slick and wet rubber.
When the lights went out to get the first race of the season underway it was immediately clear that wet tyres were the right choice and the main beneficiary was Reece Somerfield (Privateer), who stormed from sixth on the grid into the race lead in just two corners.
With the remainder of the Pro Class field all opting for slicks, it was a number of Am Class contenders that rose to the head of the field, with Darron Lewis (Team Hard) ending the opening lap in second overall ahead of James Kell (Rob Boston Racing).
King and Tom Hibbert (Triple M Motorsport) joined Somerfield on the Pro Class podium after finishing seventh and eighth overall respectively, with GT4 SuperCup debutants Mike Epps (Team HARD) and Peter Bassill (Century Motorsport) rounding out the top ten.
Later that afternoon the field re-assembled for race two and Somerfield briefly led away from pole position before King seized the advantage into Druids. He went on to successfully negotiate a safety car restart before breaking clear to a fifth victory in the GT4 SuperCup.
It wasn’t as clear cut behind however as Somerfield and Epps enjoyed a thrilling battle over second position. Battling wheel-to-wheel at 120mph, the duo were inseparable as they ran side-by-side for a number of laps before Somerfield emerged in front.
Third position marked a debut podium finish for Epps, while Hibbert fended off the attentions of Burns to take fourth. Behind those two, Carl Shield (AK Motorsport) completed the top six with 2018 Ginetta Junior race-winner Fin Green (Total Control Racing) in hot pursuit.
The final race of the day took place in front of a huge trackside audience and the live ITV4 television cameras, with the reverse grid placing 2016 GT4 SuperCup vice-champion Burns and Taylor on their respective class pole positions.
Burns went on to lead proceedings from start-to-finish on his way to a fourth career victory in the championship, while an early move on Somerfield earnt King second position to complete a podium hat-trick for the weekend and secure him the early championship lead.
Somerfield followed him home to complete his best ever weekend in the championship with a third podium finish of his own ahead of Epps.
Simon Paice
