Nathan Kinch and Andrew Kirkaldy in the Scuderia Ecosse Ferrari 360 GTC claimed the British GT Championship title on Saturday. The Scottish duo won round ten at Mondello and to secure an unassailable lead with three races still remaining.

Round 10 - Mondello Park - 17 September 2005

Nathan Kinch started the race from pole position, he and Kirkaldy continuing their unbroken run of starting from the top spot. The young Scot soon set about building up a good lead whilst Chris Niarchos in the sister Ferrari made a great move on the Cadena GTC Mosler and moved up into fifth place before setting about chasing the Embassy Porsche.

The Safety Car was deployed just after quarter distance whilst a stricken car was recovered. It was still out when the pit window opened prompting all the cars to pour into the pits for the mandatory driver change. At the restart Kirkaldy, now in car 35, got away well and Tim Mullen, in the 34 car, made light work of passing two cup class Porsches that had leapfrogged him in the pits. Clearly not happy to be running fifth Mullen passed Anthony Reid and Ben Collins in one move then headed off after Michael Caine's Porsche which he promptly passed for second place.

By the end of the race Mullen was ready to challenge Kirkaldy but the Scot had the Championship in his sights and cruised over the line to take the win. Returning to the pit lane with a Scottish flag waving from the window of the Ferrari, Kirkaldy was greeted by a delighted Nathan Kinch, and a very happy Scuderia Ecosse team.

Nathan Kinch (#35): "What a fantastic day; we wanted to take the Championship with a win and we've done it so I'm over the moon! I'd like to pay tribute to my team-mate and of course the entire team for a job well done. We set out this year with this Championship as our no.1 priority so now it's in the bag it's a great feeling!"

Andrew Kirkaldy (#35): "I'm a happy man! That was a great race although Tim had me worried towards the end! To have won all the races bar two and taken every single pole position makes me proud and I couldn't ask for more. Nathan has come a long way this year and the team has been there for us every step of the way, the Scuderia Ecosse guys and the Michelotto team. We're off now to paint the town red.Ferrari red!"

Chris Niarchos (#34): "My plan was to take Gavan (Kershaw) in the Mosler at the first turn so I was pleased to be able to get a clean pass on him for fifth. It's incredibly tight here and even though the car is quick it's hard to make the break. I kept getting under Neil's (Cunningham) rear wing but when I got close enough to pass I lost aero at the front of the car. Big congratulations to Nathan and Andrew; I'm delighted for them both!"

Tim Mullen (#34): "That was a belting race! It was great to be able to make those passes after the Safety Car went in and I was just getting into a great battle with Andrew at the end of the race. It was tricky as I had no radio so I had to just go flat out and hope all was ok. Fair play to Andrew and Nathan, they've done a good job this year. We're not letting them off the hook though; we'll be out to win tomorrow!"
 

Stewart Roden, Team Principal: "This is amazing! Today's result, and of course the Team Championship win, is the culmination of two years of hard work and I want to pay tribute to the whole team who have put heart and soul into getting us here. Special mention of course has to go to Nathan and Andrew who have driven faultlessly this year. They have been a strong combination from the outset and I'm delighted they are Champions!"

Round 11 - Mondello Park - 18 September 2005

Nathan Kinch and Andrew Kirkaldy completed a perfect run of results at Mondello Park yesterday, sealing Saturday's Championship win with another race victory, their ninth of the season. Team-mates Chris Niarchos and Tim Mullen put up a spirited challenge but had to settle for fifth position after a spin. Kirkaldy got away well from pole position but Mullen was in hot pursuit and the opening laps saw a terrific scrap between the two Scuderia Ecosse Ferraris, running within half a second of each other. The Safety Car made an appearance on lap seven for a few laps and at the restart the positions remained the same with Kirkaldy pulling out a bit more of a gap.

A rare mistake by Kirkaldy, just after the pit window opened, saw him and Mullen swap positions and the Scot dived into the pits so the grass could be cleared from his radiators and Nathan Kinch could jump into the driving seat. Kinch rejoined with a clear track ahead of him and was able to get right into some fast lap times. Mullen was losing time to backmarkers so to avoid losing the lead he pitted to hand over to Niarchos and hope for a clear track for Chris.

Chris lost time on his out lap when he had an off into the gravel. He rejoined the race in fifth place in the GT2 class. Kinch had the lead and didn't look back until the chequered flag. Another success for the Scottish pairing but disappointment for the sister car. Tim Mullen was offered some consolation as he received the Driver of the Day Award for his fantastic performance in yesterday's race when he finished just two-tenths of a second behind Kirkaldy. The car 34 duo will be out for a win at Silverstone when the British GT Championship arrives for the final two rounds of the series in three weeks time.

RACE RESULT (Round 10): 1. Kinch/Kirkaldy (Ferrari 360 GTC) Scuderia Ecosse GT2 1:00:47.946; 2. Niarchos/Mullen (Ferrari 360 GTC) Scuderia Ecosse GT2 +0.200; 3. Collins/ Cunningham (Porsche GT3 RSR) Embassy Racing GT2 +28.574; 4. Jordan/Caine (Porsche GT3 RSR) Eurotech GT2 +29.056; 5. Bentwood/Reid (Nissan 350 Z) RJN Motorsport GT2 +42.707; 6. Whight/Kershaw (Mosler MT900R) Cadena GTC GT2 +1:01.703; RACE RESULT (Round 11): 1. Kinch/Kirkaldy (Ferrari 360 GTC) Scuderia Ecosse GT2 1:00:17.192; 2. Jordan/Caine (Porsche GT3 RSR) Eurotech GT2 +14.610; 3. Collins/ Cunningham (Porsche GT3 RSR) Embassy Racing GT2 +15.114; 4. Jones/Jones (Porsche GT3) Eurotech GT2 +58.875; 5. Niarchos/Mullen (Ferrari 360 GTC) Scuderia Ecosse GT2 +1:31.212