Touring Car
How Aditya Patel lost a racing series title by one point
Aditya Patel and teammate Mitchell Gilbert did all they could to clinch the Blancpain GT Series Asia. Only a mishap earlier in the season and poor luck in the final race hindered their success.
A late deal for Aditya Patel to sign up for the inaugural Blancpain GT Series Asia earlier this year turned out to be a masterstroke for the experienced Indian GT racer’s career at the close of the season. After spending two years in the one-make Audi R8 LMS Cup championship, returning to a multi-manufacturer series was a new challenge for the Chennai-born driver.
The last time Patel had to share his car with another driver in a championship was during his time in the ADAC GT Masters and International GT Open. Driving the Audi R8 LMS GT3 car for the Malaysian-based OD Racing team in Blancpain GT, the Indian was paired up with Malaysian driver Mitchell Gilbert, who had come off from racing in the one-make Porsche Carrera Cup Asia.
In fact, it was Gilbert who contacted Patel with an offer to pair up for the series. The two knew each other from having driven for Absolute Racing at different points in their careers. “I thought picking Patel will be great,” said Gilbert. “I know he knew the Audi really well, plus the team and he had a lot of experience, so he was a perfect choice. And there wasn't really a lot to adjust with him. He wanted a couple of things different, but all in all, it was easy.”
Patel concurred with Gilbert and felt the slight difference in their styles allowed for them to push at different times in the season, which OD Racing team boss Cornelius Ee agreed to as well. “Throughout the season, there were difficulties, but I am glad with both of their pros and cons they worked pretty well,” Ee said, adding that Patel’s work in the rain and Gilbert’s dry running made them one of the perfect pairings in the championship.
Aditya Patel (right) and teammate Mitchell Gilbert
© Blancpain GT series
How the season panned out
The team had a shocking start to the season — in a good way. Before the start of the season, Ee had tasked the team with collecting as many podium finishes as possible. However, the pair made history, winning the first-ever race in the newly-launched championship at the Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia, and then followed it up with a podium finish in the second race of the opening weekend to start the season on a high.
The next three weekends, though, proved to be tough for the Indo-Malaysian pair. They picked up third-place finishes in Buriram and Suzuka. But a spectacular tyre blowout in the second race in Suzuka — when Patel was leading the race — lost them crucial points. Later, the weekend in Fuji was disrupted due to a low-key qualifying, coupled with a spin in Race 1.
The relationship between Gilbert and Patel got a little strained after a big moment in Shanghai. Patel was leading the first race of the weekend in Shanghai when a spin in the final corner towards the business end of the race cost the pair seven points. Although they managed podium finishes in both races that weekend, the lost points would prove vital in deciding the title at the end of the season. While the Malaysian now looks back at it as a funny situation, Patel stresses that it helped bring out the honesty in their partnership.
“Obviously, I was disappointed at that time. It did cost us valuable points and a win. I knew Aditya felt bad about it, so it was better just to laugh it off,” said Gilbert, admitting that he did give his teammate a hard time then. “Mitch gives me slack for being smarter than him,” Patel said in response. “We both have a good rapport; it is probably better than any driver pair on the grid. We’re quite open and honest with each other, and it’s all for the better.”
All smiles despite a sad finale
The last round in the brand new circuit at Zhejiang in China totally changed the table. Heading into the weekend with a deficit of 24 points to the joint leaders, the pair’s best shot at the championship was to win both races and hope that their title rivals struggle. Patel and Gilbert managed to win both races of the weekend, becoming the only driving pair and team to clean sweep the races in the Asian series. However, luck deserted the Indo-Malaysian pair when they needed it most.
Hunter Abbott of the GruppeM Racing Team managed to steer his Mercedes to a fourth-place finish in the final race. The position was just enough for the British driver to wrestle away the title from under the noses of Patel and Gilbert by a single point.
But the loss hasn’t dampened Patel’s positivity of the experience in the series. “We did have our share of ups and downs, but in the end, we came away with some great memories as a team. I have to say, it’s been the most fun year in my entire motorsport career,” Patel said. Teammate Gilbert added: “I don't think anyone is disappointed that we lost the title. The weekend in Zhejiang overshadowed it all.”
Before the start of the season, few would have predicted the Indo-Malaysian pair to come within a point of winning the title. In fact, both the drivers agreed that their team boss’ target for podium finishes was the most realistic expectation for their maiden campaign. But they did add that the victory in Race 1 at Sepang helped their self-belief, even though they still held their opponents in high regard.
Aditya was praised for his driving skills in wet conditions
© Blancpain GT series
Patel gunning for a title
Many would argue that Patel’s choice to get into touring cars and GT racing instead of single-seater categories has left him out of the limelight. With Formula 1 often regarded as the pinnacle of motor racing, single-seater racers have enjoyed much exposure and fanfare over the years.
However, Indian racers in other categories have continued to do extremely well, with Patel being one of the prime examples.
The Chennai racer has secured race wins in several international championships. Among his many achievements are victories at the Volkswagen Scirocco R Cup in Germany, the 24 Hours of Nurburgring (SP4T category), wins in the International GT Open, and even the Audi R8 LMS Cup.
Patel, however, has lamented that the wholehearted support given to Formula 1 has resulted in a low yield of fans for GT racing in India. He does hope that the manufacturer-driven championships also get their due, and he is gunning for a personal title victory to help change that tide.
More so, Patel disregarded the debate over Europe and Asian championships. He feels that the Asian series is at par with the European counterparts, citing Maximilian Buhk as an example. Despite being an ace GT racer and a former champion, Buhk found it slightly difficult to challenge the drivers in the Asian championship this year.
“I think Aditya is a very solid driver,” said Gilbert. “He has experience, technical knowledge and is quick, especially in the rain.” The Malaysian feels what caught Patel out in 2017 was a lack of testing on Pirelli, since he raced on Michelin majorly. “He potentially lost some confidence because of that initially, but he came back strong at the end.”
With a successful 2017 in the books — finishing second both in overall and Silver class — the expectation is that Patel, Gilbert and OD Racing will return in 2018 to have another go at the title in the two categories as well as try to secure the teams’ championship.