SD Team racing drivers Nick Jones and Sven Müller will get back into British GT Championship action at Snetterton this weekend and will be hoping to continue their strong sprint race form.

This weekend the British GT Championship descends on the Snetterton 300 Circuit in Norfolk for its second, and final, sprint event of the season, with twin 60-minute races awaiting the 23-car field.

Having skipped the last event at Spa-Francorchamps, this will be Jones and Müller’s first British GT appearance since Oulton Park back in May, where the #66 Team Parker Racing-run Porsche 911 GT3 R put on a show during the last sprint meeting.

After scoring a superb sixth in the opening race, the #66 was running in a podium place in the ever-changing conditions of the second race, before a gamble to stay on wet-weather tyres didn’t pay off. However, the pair banked a second top-six finish and their best points score yet from the Cheshire event.

With the weather looking more stable for this weekend, Jones and Müller will be hoping for more of the same pace they showed during that last outing. The short, sharp sprint format has a habit of opening the door for surprise results, with the 60-minute race time leaving zero margin for error either out on track or during a crew’s mandatory pit stop and driver change.

Sprint rounds also mean each driver gets a turn at qualifying the car for a race, with Jones’ best time setting the grid slot for race one, before Müller gets the chance to show what he can do by qualifying solo among the Pros to start race two.

While this will be the Porsche factory ace’s first-ever visit to Snetterton, he has already learned the layout on a simulator and will have Friday testing to dial himself into the three-mile layout.

Nick Jones says: “I’m so looking forward to being back racing this weekend, and we’re going to Snetterton aiming to give it both barrels. It’s been quite a while since we were last in the car, so testing on Friday will be really useful for both of us – for Sven as he’s never been to Snetterton, and for me as I haven’t been there since 2022! It’s a decent track to drive, with a good mix of corners… I’m certain Sven will pick it up really quickly and be right up there in the times. I’m excited to be back with the Team Parker boys and see what we can achieve.”

Sven Müller adds: “This will be my first-ever visit to Snetterton, so it’s another new circuit for me and I always enjoy the challenge of learning new places. From what I’ve seen on the simulator, Snetterton is quite fun with some interesting corners and quite a long lap, I’m looking forward to driving it for real. The last sprint round at Oulton Park was strong for us, so we will go and try to fight for a podium again and give it everything.”

The British GT weekend at Snetterton gets underway with testing on Friday, ahead of Free Practice, Pre-Qualifying and Qualifying on Saturday. Sunday begins with a morning Warm-Up, ahead of Race 1 at 10:50, and Race 2 at 15:05. Both races will be shown live on Sky Sports F1, while every session will have live timing via the official championship website. Qualifying and both races will also be streamed on the GT World YouTube channel.

SD Team racing drivers Nick Jones and Sven Müller enjoyed their strongest British GT Championship event of the season so far, with the pair scoring a pair of sixth-place finishes and a new lap record across the Bank Holiday weekend at Oulton Park.

The #66 Team Parker Racing Porsche 911 GT3 R was a constant threat from start to finish across Monday’s twin races, with the team even producing a thrilling fightback after a difficult Qualifying to record the first result. The second could have been even more, with the car running solidly in the podium places before an unlucky spin in difficult conditions set the team back. Regardless, both Jones and Müller have shown podium-challenging potential, and Müller’s star quality shone through with him also obliterating the circuit lap record.

On what was his first competitive visit to the Cheshire track, Müller’s pace was undeniable from the start, going quickest of all in Saturday’s Pre-Qualifying session, well beneath the championship’s existing race lap record.

That form looked to continue into Qualifying in the afternoon, but a change in track temperature caught many out. On his first outing at Oulton for three years, Jones set the 14th fastest time, setting the grid for race one on Monday, while Müller was just pipped for a front-row slot for race two as just 0.2s separated the top six. The #66 would instead line up third, but with the pace to move forward.

And move forward is exactly what the team did during an excellent opening race on Monday. Jones got a good start to immediately surge up two places as the pack ran through turn one. From there he settled into a rhythm, keeping clean and consistent as those around him lost their heads. Jones was into the top 10 by the time the race was neutralised following a heavy crash for a GT4 BMW.

Pitting to hand to Müller under the resulting Full Course Yellow, the German was on full attack come the restart, muscling his way past multiple cars which included a double pass on the Paddock McLaren and Bridger Honda at the chicane. Müller then obliterated the lap record by half-a-second on his eventual charge to sixth.

Starting third for race two, there was even greater potential for a big score, even if the changeable weather made tyre strategy a complete gamble. Müller started on wets after the grid formed up on a wet but drying track, and was soon up to second as many cars rolled the dice on an early stop for slicks. When rain returned soon after, staying out proved the right call, with Müller holding station before pitting for Jones.

With rain still in the air, the team made the call to keep Jones on wet-weather rubber instead of gamble and potentially throw a result away. Jones rejoined in second but the rain disappeared soon after, leaving him struggling to manage a rapidly overheating set of wets.

Jones held on but could do nothing to defend from the Orange Racing McLaren that had taken a punt on dry tyres. Likewise, the Honda NSX also lucked in with a slick gamble. Jones was the top runner on wets for the majority of the second half before the Porsche finally lost grip coming out of Island Bend. Jones did superbly to keep the car out of the wall and rejoin to record a second sixth place of the event.

Nick Jones said: “Overall it’s been a really strong weekend for us. Starting at the back in race one you don’t tend to expect much around Oulton as overtaking can be so tough here, but we got some chances and took every one of them! I just wanted to keep things clean in my stint and managed to pick up a few places before Sven did his thing. We knew the car would be quick, and he was truly rapid this weekend! Things were so marginal in race two with the weather, and wets were definitely the right call at the start of my stint but then we just got unlucky. The tyres started to boil and lose grip as the track dried and I did my best but was just gutted about the spin. Still, the boys on slicks would have filled the podium anyway, so it’s just the gamble you take. I’m still really pleased with how we performed this weekend.”

Sven Müller added: “It was a great weekend with a bit of everything, dry, wet, traffic and two very busy races! The car was really strong here, and I loved racing at Oulton Park. Nick did well at the start of race one and I had some fun overtaking and chasing down other cars ahead to get a good result for us. I didn’t even know I had set the new track record until I was told after, so that’s a nice thing to come away with. Race two was tricky with the changing track and we made the call to play safe and keep Nick on the wet tyres, which offered more grip at the time and were easier to manage than the slicks. But the weather turned and we got unlucky. Still, we will take these results as something really positive to build on.”

Jones and Müller are next in action for British GT’s annual European event at Spa-Francorchamps over the weekend of June 21/22.

 

SD Team racing drivers Nick Jones and Sven Müller face a fast-paced Bank Holiday with the British GT Championship holding its first sprint event of the season at Oulton Park this weekend.

Traditionally reserved for Easter weekend, British GT’s trip to the Cheshire parkland track instead moves further back in the schedule for this year, allowing teams and drivers additional mileage before taking on one of the most demanding events of the campaign.

With two one-hour races taking place on Bank Holiday Monday, Oulton’s fast sweeps and multiple pinch points mean the margin for error is zero for crews hunting the big points-paying finishes.

Jones and Müller have started the British GT season brightly, even if that has yet to be reflected in the championship table. The pair were on for a top-six finish in the season opener at Donington Park before an unlucky accident took them out of contention. Then at Silverstone a cocktail of bad luck led to a time penalty that again cost them the chance to fight for a strong result, even if Müller showed the #66 car’s potential by setting the second-fastest lap of the entire race.

Now the Team Parker Racing-run Porsche 911 GT3 R takes on a new kind of challenge with the sprint race format. With each driver getting their own qualifying session to set the grid for each race, it allows double the opportunity for success.

Nick Jones says: “I cannot wait to get back in the car, it feels like ages since Silverstone, so we’re ready and raring to go! Oulton Park is a great circuit, it’s really old school and very different to places like Silverstone and Donington, without much runoff or margin for error. I like the sprint race format, but it can also carry a high chance of safety cars, which can work for you or against you in such a short time space, so it can be a lottery. So much will come down to qualifying as Oulton is a tight track and just managing the GT4 traffic is tough enough, let alone passing another GT3. Still, the car and the team are in a good place so we’ll go give it our best shot.”

Sven Müller says: “I’m really looking forward to the third round of British GT, and my first race weekend at Oulton Park. In truth I don’t think the first two rounds have gone as we had expected, with just a lot of bad luck and small things that have held us back, so the key thing for this weekend is to be able to start a bit further up the grid because overall our race pace has been very good. Oulton Park is quite a tight track, quite small compared to Donington and Silverstone but it’s really fun to drive. We had a good test there at the start of the year so I know the layout and overtaking could be tough so qualifying well will be a big part of success. I’m excited to get going.”

British GT Championship action at Oulton Park gets underway with testing on Friday, before the event begins proper with twin practice sessions on Saturday morning and Qualifying in the afternoon. There will be no running on Sunday, with both one-hour races scheduled for Monday. All sessions will feature live timing, and both Qualifying and the races will be shown live on Sky Sports F1 and streamed via the GT World YouTube channel.

Nick Jones and Sven Müller endured a frustrating second round of the British GT Championship last weekend, with the pair coming away unrewarded from what became a turbulent three-hour race.

The seasonal showpiece Silverstone 500 event is never a straightforward affair, with the result often determined by more than just speed alone. The Team Parker Racing-run Porsche 911 GT3 R had speed in abundance, as shown by pro driver Müller setting the second-fastest race lap of the entire 21-strong GT3 field, but the car simply didn’t have the luck to go with it after an early penalty wrecked its chances.

Ultimately, Jones and Müller finished 15th overall, and just outside of the top 10 in class, but did at least stay clear of any scrapes on their run to the flag in a race that featured three Safety Car periods and a heap of drama elsewhere.

The Team Parker Porsche was in the mix from the start of the weekend, highlighted by Müller helping the team to third fastest in Free Practice on Saturday. However a dip in track temperatures across the day proved a challenge for the Porsche, which struggled to replicate the same performance levels in Qualifying. Nick and Sven would therefore start Sunday’s three-hour race from 15th, but with all eyes on moving forward.

When the lights went out Jones immediately got himself into a duel with the Steller Motorsport Audi, Optimum Motorsport McLaren, Team Abba Mercedes-AMG and Blackthorn Aston Martin, holding station despite big pressure across the opening half hour.

The team’s strategy was to pit Jones early and install Müller to gain track position, so the #66 Porsche boxed for its first driver change shortly after, only to then be undone by sheer bad luck. The car was fractionally under its mandatory minimum pit time, so was called back in to serve a stop-go. Add to that the fact that the majority of other teams essentially got their first pit stop for free with the first of the race’s Safety Car periods being called shortly after Müller had rejoined, and the deck was already stacked well against the SD car.

Jones and Müller persevered to make it to the chequered flag, with Müller showing the team’s potential by becoming just the second driver to dip into the 1:58s bracket during his final stint. The result however was unjust reward for the potential.

Nick Jones said: “That was a difficult weekend, and one where it seemed like no matter what we’d have tried things just wouldn’t have gone in our favour. The first stint was good, getting into the fight with a load of other cars, and then I fully understood the strategy to get Sven into the car early, but then it all came crashing down with the penalty. We were something like a few thousandths under, but it doesn’t matter as the rules are the rules, and then the timing of the first Safety Car really put us out of the game. Still, we know the car’s quick, and Sven showed his class in that last stint with that lap, so hopefully we can head to Oulton Park and be back on form there next month.”

Sven Müller said: “It was not the weekend we expected, especially as the car was actually really great to drive during my final stint, so the potential was there for at least a top five, but the early mistakes cost us too much. We were so close to the minimum pit time but the in-car timer had failed and we ended up being seven thousandths of a second under, which unfortunately brought a big penalty. But we still had a nice weekend though, and from Nick’s part he made some big improvements in his driving and we are working better together with each event with the team. The next round cannot come soon enough!”

The next round of the British GT Championship takes place at Oulton Park in Cheshire over May Bank Holiday, 24-26.

Nick Jones and Sven Müller are eager to bounce back to form in the British GT Championship, with this weekend’s showpiece Silverstone 500 event presenting a great opportunity to shine.

The SD Team-backed drivers were well in the running for a potential top-six finish during the season-opener at Donington Park earlier this month before their Porsche 911 GT3 R was caught in a collision at the chicane, wrecking the pair’s chances of an early points haul.

With the car now fully repaired by the Team Parker Racing technical crew, Jones and Müller have eyes on putting on a show in the year’s biggest race. The three-hour Silverstone 500 is always a hotly contested event, drawing in multiple one-off entries for the endurance race around Britain’s Grand Prix Circuit. This weekend will be no exception, with both a season-high 21-car GT3 entry and a huge crowd expected, with the action also being shown live on Sky Sports F1.

The longer race format means teams have extra strategic freedom, with no set pit windows allowing each crew to find the fastest way to the chequered flag.

Jones last contested this event in 2023, when he and the team gave the new-generation 992 GT3 R its British GT debut. This will be Müller’s first experience of the Silverstone 500, but the Porsche factory star knows the circuit well having competed in the Blancpain Endurance Series there in 2019. His vast experience of competing at world-class endurance events such as the Spa and Nürburgring 24 Hours will also make him one to watch aboard the #66 Porsche.

The overall Silverstone 500 winners are also rewarded with the prestigious 1932 RAC Trophy, which was originally awarded to the victors of the 500-mile race at Brooklands.

Nick Jones says: “The Silverstone 500 is a special race and always great to be a part of. It’s a long old race, and very physical with the pace of it and the longer stints, but I really enjoy that challenge. We had two days of testing to get back into the swing of things and that went well, so I’m sure the car will be in a good place and I know Sven’s fired up for this one. There were loads of positives to take from the first race at Donington, so we’ll aim to build on those and see where it can take us. There’s no doubt we’ll get more into the mix as the season goes on, so we’ll be giving it full gas from the start of the weekend.”

Sven Müller says: “I’m fully motivated and ready for my first Silverstone 500. It’s the biggest race of the year for the championship and we’ll have a few new guests starting with us that will make the competition even harder than the first round. We had a good test together and the car feels in good and hopefully we will get a bit more luck this time as the pace at Donington was good until the unlucky accident. But I think we are well prepared for three hours of hardcore racing, that’s exactly what we are looking forward to.”

British GT’s Silverstone 500 weekend gets underway with Free Practice and Pre-Qualifying on Saturday morning ahead of Qualifying at 16:15. Sunday begins with a morning Warm-Up ahead of the scheduled race start at 12:30. As well as live coverage of both Qualifying and the Race on Sky Sports F1, the action will be streamed live on the GT World YouTube channel and every session will have live timing.

Nick Jones and Sven Müller put on an eye-catching display during SD Team’s return to the British GT Championship at Donington Park last weekend, with the pair looking like top-six challengers before an unfortunate accident ended their race early.

The Team Parker Racing-operated Porsche 911 GT3 R showed strong pace in a cagey two-hour race, with Jones putting in a battling stint at the heart of a thrilling four-car fight. With Porsche factory star Sven Müller set to take over for the second half, the team looked certain to push on for a big points finish, but an unlucky accident just before the pit window opened led to heavy frontal damage and denied Müller the chance to show his considerable talent on his championship debut.

After a wait of two years, the SD-liveried Porsche returned to the British GT grid for the first time, flying the flag for the Stuttgart brand as the sole 911 GT3 in the field.

The team wasted little time in making its mark, with Müller going fifth fastest in opening practice on what was also his first official session ever driving the 2.5-mile Donington Park Circuit.

Qualifying yielded a starting place in the top 10 for Sunday’s race, but with every chance to push forward knowing the Porsche would be both fast and consistent in race trim rather than single-lap performance.

Jones took the wheel for the start and immediately got stuck into the action as he took on the #3 Optimum McLaren, #9 Paddock McLaren and #1 Barwell Motorsport Lamborghini Huracan in what soon became an enthralling four-car fight.

After passing the Paddock McLaren with a strong move at Goddards, Jones looked set to press on and attack the Optimum car, however a big slide coming out of the chicane tested Jones’ car control and, while he impressively held the car, it opened the door for the Paddock McLaren to slip past again.

Jones recovered to fight back, once again hauling in the two McLarens ahead and, once the field had been bunched thanks to a mid-session safety car needed to clear a stranded GT4 Lotus from the gravel, Jones found himself in a prime position to attack.

Chasing down the Optimum McLaren ahead, Jones got a slipstream down the back straight and lined up a move into the fast left-right chicane, going for a gap just as the McLaren turned in to defend. There was contact and the Porsche was sent spearing through the tyre stack at the apex, heavily damaging the front bodywork.

Jones somehow continued until pitting on schedule to hand to Müller for the second half. The Team Parker crew did what they could to patch up the Porsche and sent Müller out, but the resulting lack of downforce meant the German could never push to the limit. With the car so damaged, it made sense to park it early and reset ahead of Silverstone at the end of the month.

Nick Jones said: “It’s a disappointing way to finish what was otherwise a really good race for us. That’s probably the best racing performance I’ve ever put in in British GT. We got properly stuck into a tight four-car battle and I definitely held my own. Had we not had the accident then I know Sven would have been pushing for the top six, but it’s just one of those things that can happen in motorsport.

“I got a good run on the McLaren and he left a gap. I’m never not going to go for a gap as a racing driver, but he turned in at just the wrong moment and I was a passenger from then on. It’s quite impressive how the car took the hit and still was able to continue, but with so much damage, little to gain and on safety grounds we decided it was sensible to park the car. Still, the team did a great job all weekend, Sven’s been a joy to work with as usual, and we’ll be back at Silverstone pushing for a top result.”

Sven Müller added: “I really enjoyed my first British GT round, and my first trip to Donington Park. I was surprised to see how many fans came out and the atmosphere was great. Donington is probably now one of my favourite English tracks – a load of fun to race there! Obviously, it was not the result we wanted and the accident was very unfortunate for us. From my view Nick was up the inside and the other driver must not have seen him, so it was a racing incident that was just unfortunate and broke our car so I couldn’t continue. But overall the team was very good, the car was quick and we are looking forward to the next race at Silverstone.”

SD Team is next in action for the biggest race of the British GT season, the Silverstone 500, across the weekend of April 25-27.

The SD Team-backed Porsche 911 GT3 R will return to the British GT Championship after a two-year absence as the campaign begins anew for Nick Jones and Sven Müller at Donington Park this weekend.

Having not featured in the UK’s premier sportscar championship since a one-off appearance in 2023, the familiar SD-liveried Porsche will be back competing on home soil in the season’s opening two-hour race at the Derbyshire venue. Team Parker Racing will operate the car for Jones and Müller, reigniting the long-running partnership between the UK’s leading Porsche team, SD and Jones that first began back in 2017.

Since his final domestic campaign, Jones has impressed on the European stage, scoring multiple podium finishes in the Le Mans Cup, where he linked up with Porsche factory ace Müller for the first time last season. The pair went on an impressive run from mid-season, scoring two podium finishes from the year’s final four races, helping Jones to fourth place in the GT3 driver standings.

Müller will undoubtedly be a major pull on what will be his British GT debut. The German will be one of five factory drivers on the 26-car grid and will go head-to-head with his opposite numbers from Aston Martin, McLaren, Lamborghini and Mercedes-AMG. The SD Porsche will also be the sole representative of the Stuttgart brand on this year’s grid.

The two-hour season opener at Donington offers a great opportunity for both Jones and Müller to score some valuable early-season points. While Müller has never visited the venue before, Jones scored his breakthrough British GT3 victory there at the wheel of a Bentley Continental GT3 back in 2020. The pair head into the weekend keen to make a flying start to the season.

Nick Jones says: “I’m really excited for this weekend – it’s been a while since I got stuck into British GT! It’s a great championship, with a really strong entry list so we’ll no doubt have a fight on our hands from the word go. Being back with Team Parker has been brilliant, it’s like going racing with a bunch of mates every weekend and the car feels like it’s in a good place. Obviously, I’m also a fan of Donington Park, having won my first race there in the Bentley and it’s a track I know well and feel comfortable at. I’ve improved as a driver since racing in Europe, and working with a driver like Sven you’re always learning new things. I’m fitter and faster than I ever was during my other British GT seasons, so I’m looking forward to seeing what I can achieve as Nick 2.0.”

Sven Müller says: “I’m really looking forward to this weekend as it’ll be my first-ever race in British GT, and my first at Donington Park, so everything will be new to me. But we have a good team behind us in Team Parker Racing and they have helped to prepare us well. I’ve had a day to learn the Donington track and that should be enough to learn most of the characteristics of the track, but most importantly we are looking forward to a good race weekend, hopefully with minimal problems so we can start the season strong. Let’s see how it goes!”

Action for the British GT Championship season opener at Donington Park gets underway with twin practice sessions on Saturday morning ahead of Qualifying at 15:50. Sunday begins with Warm-up in the morning, with the two-hour race set to begin at 12:45. All sessions will feature live timing, while qualifying and the race will be streamed live on the GT World YouTube channel.

SD Team will fly the flag for the Porsche marque in this year’s British GT Championship after confirming it will return to the series full-time this season with the latest-generation 911 GT3 R.

Nick Jones and Sven Müller will share driving duties, having impressed as a pairing across last year’s Michelin Le Mans Cup, while the car – which is based on the latest 992 Porsche platform – will be operated by Team Parker Racing.

The deal means a full-time British GT return for both Jones and the SD-backed Porsche for the first time since 2022, although they did make a one-off appearance at Silverstone in 2023 before focusing predominantly on European competition. Since then, a Porsche GT3 has not been regularly represented in the British championship.

Jones has a long history with both British GT and Team Parker Racing, having competed with the team for six full seasons between 2017-2023. Jones was crowned as British GT4 Pro-Am champion in 2018 and later became an outright British GT race winner with a Team Parker-run Bentley Continental GT3 at Donington Park in 2020.

Jones first partnered with Porsche factory star Müller in 2024, with the pair completing their first campaign together in last year’s Le Mans Cup. They scored two podium finishes – including a sensational third place in the prestigious Road to Le Mans race that ran ahead of the world-famous Le Mans 24 Hours – helping Jones to fourth place in the final GT3 standings.

Müller has enjoyed a string of high-profile successes across his career and will be a standout entry into British GT this season. After winning both the Porsche Supercup and Carrera Cup Germany titles in 2016 he has gone on to compete in the world’s biggest GT3 series, scoring podium finishes in categories such as the FIA World Endurance Championship and Japanese Super GT, plus victories in the GT World Challenge Europe and ADAC GT Masters. He joined Porsche’s factory driver roster back in 2017.

While Müller will contest the vast majority of the championship alongside Jones, a clash of commitments means he will be unavailable for the round at Spa-Francorchamps in June. British driver Harry King – who has lifted titles in the Ginetta GT Supercup and Porsche Carrera Cup GB and Benelux – will deputise for that event.

Nick Jones says: “I’m really looking forward to being back in British GT this year and reuniting with both Team Parker Racing and Sven. Racing in Europe over the last few years has been refreshing and I’ve learned a lot; new tracks, new styles of racing and new techniques, so I’m excited to see how that will translate back into British GT. I’m fitter and more determined than ever, so I’m hungry to get back out on track. Sven and I have struck up a great relationship over the last season and a half, he’s both brilliant to work with and a top driver to have in the car. It made sense to continue that for this year and keep learning from him. Also being back with Team Parker is like coming home. I’ve known the team for so long and I’m just really excited to get back into the action.”

Sven Müller says: “I’m very excited for this season and my first time in British GT. I really like the English tracks like Silverstone and Brands Hatch, and I’m looking forward to learning some of the new ones across the year – I’ll have some simulator practice to get up to speed, for sure. And it’s a pleasure to partner with Nick for a second full season. We got to know each other really well and enjoyed a lot of success last season in the Le Mans Cup, so we want to improve on that and fight for some more trophies in British GT. I’m excited to start testing and working with Team Parker Racing for the first time. I think it’s going to be a really fun year ahead.”

The SD Porsche will first be in action for the British GT Championship’s Media Day test at Silverstone on Friday, March 21, before the championship roars into life with a two-hour race at Donington Park across the weekend of April 5/6.

Nick Jones and Sven Müller put up a superb fight for honours in the final round of the Michelin Le Mans Cup season at Portimão last weekend, with the battered and bruised #18 Porsche 911 GT3 R coming home fifth in class and so nearly stealing third in the championship.

The High Class Racing Porsche took the flag in fifth place, with Pro driver Müller somehow overcoming a big hit from an over-ambitious LMP3 that ripped one of the Porsche’s wings off. Müller was running seventh at the time when he was innocently pincered by the lapping LMP3 leaders. Despite the huge loss in performance, Müller kept up the fight and narrowly fell short of yet another podium. Fifth was the least the team deserved after the #18 car had shown such strong potential up until the race.

Arriving at the season finale in Portugal’s Algarve, Jones was firmly in the fight for third in the Drivers’ Championship, trailing the #74 Kessel Racing Ferrari of Andrew Gilbert and Fran Rueda by just a single point. And the battle between these two cars would run throughout the weekend.

The SD-backed Porsche marked itself out as one to watch early on when Müller topped the GT3 times outright during Thursday’s second practice session as the High Class team put in the perfect preparation ahead Friday’s Qualifying.

Jones took the wheel for Qualifying, but twin red flags halted the session, making finding any form of rhythm difficult. Jones was seventh fastest overall, but the car would start sixth after an accident for the Steller Motorsport Audi ahead that led to the early end to the session.

It meant Jones would start immediately behind Gilbert’s Ferrari for Saturday morning’s 110-minute race, and when the lights went out he immediately pushed the black and orange machine hard. Jones tried a move down the inside into the Torre Vip hairpin, and did edge ahead a few laps later only for Gilbert to find a way back through.

The first half then fell victim to a string of caution periods, with the first safety car called to clear a stranded LMP3 from the gravel, and then a second shortly after to repair some damaged kerbing. That second caution covered the pit window, with virtually the entire field pitting for the mandatory stops together.

The High Class team got the car serviced and Müller in for Jones, with Müller rejoining still right behind the rival Ferrari, now in the hands of Fran Rueda.

Racing resumed soon after, with Müller chasing Rueda and the Blackthorn Aston Martin of Ross Kaiser. However, the safety car had bunched the pack so much that the LMP3 leaders were working their way through the GT3 fight, and Müller was pincered by two of them as they attempted to run each side of the Porsche, a heavy hit from the right damaging the Porsche’s wing. Fortunately, the loose bodywork shed itself so Müller wasn’t forced to pit, but the resulting aero loss wrecked both the car’s handling and straight-line speed.

Despite the deficit, Müller was determined to fight back, passing both Blackthorn Astons and the Iron Dames Lamborghini to resume his chase of Rueda in fourth. The arrival of yet another safety car to clear a beached LMP3 closed the gap and set up a breathless finish.

The race resumed with 16 minutes on the clock, with Müller closing right up the rear of the Ferrari and pushing to find a way past for both the race position and the championship place, but his charge was eventually halted by one final full course yellow for yet another stranded prototype. Müller took the flag almost pushing Rueda across the line.

The result also cemented a one, two, three, four result for Ferrari with the High Class Racing Porsche finishing as best of the rest – as has been the story for much of the season.

Regardless, Jones finishes the year an impressive fourth in the Drivers’ Championship, with three podium finishes to his name in what has been a highly decorated season of racing for the Welshman.

Nick Jones said: “We couldn’t have given any more this weekend and the fact we were still there fighting so hard at the end despite the damage says a lot about our determination and team spirit across this season. We had a quick car all weekend, but the Ferraris are just so fast that there’s little you can do when you get onto a straight. I put all the pressure I could onto the Kessel car in my stint and stayed right with him, and then obviously Sven got hit and was driving with one hand tied behind his back after that, with no ABS and the tyre temperature going through the roof. To finish the ear so close to third in the championship is still a great result, and we’ve hod some truly memorable weekends this season. I’ve loved it, and can’t wait to see what 2025 will bring.”

Sven Müller added: “It was a shame about how the race needed because I think we could have had a bit more from the result, and I really wanted to help Nick get into P3 in the championship, but it wasn’t to be for us. The car was basically destroyed after the contact and we had no performance so I was just doing whatever I could to find time around the lap. But we’ve still had a fantastic season. I have really enjoyed working with Nick and seeing him develop as a driver across the races we have done, and working with the team at High Class Racing has been great. I really like this group, so we will see what the future brings after this.”

Nick Jones and Sven. Müller have their eyes firmly set on fighting for late-season glory as they approach the season finale of the Michelin Le Mans Cup at Autodromo do Algarve in Portugal this weekend.

The pair go into the final event of the season on a real hot streak, with the High Class Racing-run Porsche 911 GT3 R being a regular podium challenger across recent rounds. After scoring a sensational second place on their debut together in the Road to Le Mans races back in June, Jones and Müller again featured on the rostrum in the last round at Mugello.

The recent run of results has helped to move Jones into fourth place in the GT3 Drivers’ Championship, just one point away from third place, meaning this weekend will boil down to a straight fight between the SD Porsche and the Kessel Racing Ferrari of Andrew Gilbert and Fran Rueda to decide who will secure the final spot on the season-long podium.

This weekend a 39-car field will tackle the 2.9-mile Portimão track in Portugal’s Algarve region, with 11 running in the GT3 category. Jones has a strong history at the track too, having finished on the podium there last season as well.

This weekend there will be no margin for error, with the entire team geared up for one final push for the podium.

Nick Jones says: “I can’t believe it’s the last race of the season already, this year seems to have flown by, but I’m really excited for this weekend as there’s a lot on the line. I really enjoy the Portimão track, and it’s a circuit I’ve got quite a lot of experience at from both testing and racing, and having been on the podium there last season. It’s a fast and flowing track, with a few tight corners, which should suit the Porsche as we can get good traction off the slower-speed stuff. Sven and I have been on the podium in both events we’ve done together this year, and the car is feeling superb at the moment, so top three is definitely the aim again this time around, and hopefully we can bag enough points to fight for third in the drivers’ championship.”

Sven Müller says: “I’m really looking forward to the last race of the season. The last few races we’ve had have been really strong, so I don’t see why we cannot be fighting for the podium, at a minimum, this weekend. I really like the Portimão track, and the Porsche tends to be strong there. We also have a bit better BoP for this weekend so we can hopefully be even more competitive than we have been. One of the big aims is not just the race podium, but to get Nick onto the championship podium at the end of the weekend. He has made some big improvements as the year has gone on and there’s a chance to climb up the championship leaderboard. But most important, we’re going to go and have fun out there.”

Action for the final round of the Michelin Le Mans Cup in Portimão gets underway with testing on the evening of Wednesday, October 16 followed by twin practice sessions on Thursday. Qualifying takes place at midday local time on Friday, with the final 110-minute race of the year getting underway at 10:30 local time on Saturday. Live timing will be available for all sessions via the Michelin Le Mans Cup website, while qualifying and the race will be shown live on the championship’s YouTube channel.