Indian racing contingent Aditya Patel was the first runner up in the inaugural Blancpain GT Series Asia losing out to Hunter Abbott. Patel lost the title by a single point, despite hm and his teammate Mitch Gilbert registering a double win over the weekend, becoming the first crew ever crew to do so in the series. Abbott finished fourth in the series finale in Zhejiang, China, but was enough to beat the OD Racing drivers for the crown. In a tweet, an ecstatic Patel said, "What a weekend! Two wins and did everything we could but lost the @BlancpainGTA series by 1 point. We'll be back! @AudiIN @MitchGilbert25."
(Aditya Patel and Mitch Gilbert for OD Racing)
Patel qualified for Race 1 in the front row behind pole-sitter Christopher Dreyspring in the 66 Lamborghini. The race was scheduled to start behind the safety car due to the wet conditions. But once the safety car retreated, Patel was at his aggressive best while defending attacks from other drivers and was quick to pass Dreyspring to take the lead. The Indian driver created enough gap against rivals, which teammate Mitch Gilbert held on to when the driver switch happened. The OD Racing team managed to cross the chequered flag with a lead of 5.6 seconds, which brought the team close to the championship title.
(Patel started Race 1 in the front row, while Gilbert Race 2 on pole)
Race 2 then, was all the more crucial as it would dictate the team's championship fate. Gilbert qualified on pole for the second race but lost the lead after running wide on Turn 1. However, as luck would have it, the race leader Rick Yoon spun promoting Gilbert and Patel to the lead. While OD Racing became the first team to score a double win in the series, Hunter Abbott despite finishing fourth, secured the championship title after an incredible season.
The Indian is now looking forward to a more spectacular motorsport season in 2018.
