2018 – Season in Numbers
18 race events
18 pole positions
17 wins
17 fastest laps
10 podiums
1 championship
The stats say it all, 2018 was a successful season for Olly Bryant. But mechanical issues in a number of events, meant the results tally wasn’t as high as it should have been.
Kicking off with the Silverstone 24 hours in March, where driving a BMW M235i for Duwo Racing, he finished 2nd in class and 7th overall.
The 76 Members’ Meeting at Goodwood followed shortly afterwards, where despite freezing temperatures and snow, the show carried on. Olly planted the ex- Think Auto Chevy Camaro on pole position for the Gerry Marshall Trophy Race. Father Grahame lost ground at the start in an early race incident which saw several cars leave the circuit. Fortunately, the Camaro got away un-scathed and once on-board, Olly set fastest lap on route to a charge back up to 4th place, just 1 second behind P3 as the race ended early in fading light as snow came down. Olly also drove a Cooper-Maserati for owner Michael O’Shea, he qualified P2 in the Gurney Cup, but a wheel bearing failure on lap 3 halted further progress. To finish off the meeting, Olly qualified the Lotus XV P3 and finished in the same position after a race in tricky conditions on Sunday evening.
Donington Historic Festival at the beginning of May was disappointing for Olly. Having put the Lotus XV on pole position for the Stirling Moss Trophy race against fierce opposition, Olly led every lap until disaster struck on the penultimate tour with suspension failure.
Olly bounced back at Thruxton a month later when the circuit hosted it’s first historic event for many years, in celebration of the circuits’ 50th Anniversary at the start of June. Olly secured pole position in the Lotus XV and finished a close second to Chris Ward in race 1. Race 2 was a proper ding-dong battle from lights to flag, and Olly came out on top to secure a popular victory. Olly also drove the Camaro to class pole and two class wins in the Tony Dron Trophy races.
The Spa Summer Classic in June was another highlight with a clean sweep for Olly & Grahame Bryant sharing the GT40 in the Spa 3 hours. Olly planted the car on pole position and the pair went on to win the 3 hour race in dominant style. The meeting also hosted a “fly-away” round of the Morgan Aero Challenge. Driving the famous Morgan +8 “1 MOG”, Olly secured pole position and the race win, breaking the lap record in the process.
Highlights of the Silverstone Classic in July were overall victories in the FIA Masters Sportscars driving a Lola T70 Mk3B and pole position and a dominant display in the Tony Dron Trophy sharing the Chevy Camaro with father Grahame.
Olly competed at the Le Mans Classic event for the first time in July. Olly piloted the Historika run Porsche 901 to class victory in the Porsche 70th Anniversary race and an impressive 6th overall.
August saw the annual Bentley Drivers’ Club meeting at Silverstone and 2 rounds of the Morgan Aero Challenge. Olly piloted “1 MOG” to pole position and two race victories over former British GT team mate and Morgan sparring partner Keith Ahlers. Olly also posted a new lap record.
Early September saw the final round of the inaugural 2.0L Cup Championship. Olly Bryant and Andrew Smith scored a clean sweep in this series to become champions with 3 wins from 3 races.
Goodwood Revival was bitterly disappointing for Olly & Andrew. Once again, they were in the running in the ex-Roy Salvadori AC Cobra, but a distributor issue in the race caused gradual loss of power and eventual retirement whilst battling for the lead. Olly bounced back for a podium in the Sussex Trophy on Sunday afternoon at the helm of the Lotus XV.
Spa 6 hours is the highlight of the historic racing calendar. Sharing the Ford GT40 with James Cottingham, and buoyant from the success in the Spa 3 hours, Olly scored a scintillating pole position at night on the final lap of the session. The 114 car field contained 18 GT40s. Olly led the field away from pole position only for disaster to strike as a valve spring let go on the 3rd lap.
In the Stirling Moss Trophy race, Olly again planted the Lotus XV on pole position and led for 35 minutes before a charging issue caused the battery to die and the car to stop on track. Olly scored a fine 2nd place in the Lola T70 against quicker Can-AM machinery in the FIA Masters Sportscars.
The season usually quietens down after Spa 6 hours, but this year was an exception. Olly drove at Imola for the first time in late October, where he piloted a 1972 Ford Capri RS2600 to 3rd overall in the Heritage Touring Cup.
Daytona Classic 24 Hours then followed in mid-November, where at the 3rd time of asking, overall GT honours and 2nd in Group A was achieved in the 1967 Chevy Camaro sharing with Grahame. Olly also won the Sasco Tyres International-American Challenge for the 3rd year running driving a 1965 Ford Mustang GT350. Olly piloted the same car to Group 5 podiums in both sprint races and also won race 1 of the Group 8/9/10 HSR sprint series races driving a 2006 Dodge Charger Nascar.
The final race of 2018, saw Olly race the AC Cobra with Grahame at the Bahrain Classic Challenge event on the 30th November-1st December. Olly last drove at Bahrain in 2004, aged 18 in the FIA GT World Finals. Olly wasted no time in getting re-acquainted with the circuit, as he topped the times in both free-practice and qualifying. The pair then went on to win both races, setting fastest laps in the process.
Olly would like to thank his sponsors and partners for their continued support.
- Categories: 2018 Season, News
