2022 title contender James Cottingham has called upon the championship-winning experience of Jonny Adam for his upcoming Intelligent Money British GT campaign with 2 Seas Motorsport.
Cottingham and Lewis Williamson were one of four crews still battling for the senior class crown at Donington’s season finale where Ian Loggie and RAM Racing ultimately prevailed last October.
Four-time champion Adam, meanwhile, contested three races with Flick Haigh aboard 2 Seas’ second Mercedes-AMG GT3. A late puncture robbed the pair of victory at Snetterton.
The Scot will make his 100th British GT start in the first of Oulton Park’s two 60-minute races on April 10. However, his existing Aston Martin Racing factory commitments will prevent him from joining Cottingham at Silverstone and Donington’s finale.
Cottingham’s stand-in co-driver for those events will be confirmed at a later date. But he can at least count on the continuity of remaining with 2 Seas and racing a Mercedes-AMG, which features an evolution of DK Engineering’s striking livery.
He will also benefit from a full-season entry on the other side of 2 Seas’ garage in the form of Loggie and Mercedes-AMG factory ace Jules Gounon, who have joined the team from RAM.
“I'm delighted to be back in British GT for a second run at the championship, and more determined than ever,” said Cottingham. “I had a chance to test other brands over the winter, and I feel the Mercedes-AMG is the best tool for the job. It is also great to be back running with the team at 2 Seas Motorsport, who are a really impressive outfit and share my passion and drive to perform at the highest level, and I am delighted to be partnering with Mr British GT, Jonny Adam.
“We were really unlucky last year with how various weekends played out, but I am feeling confident that the line-up and setup we have put together will give us as good a chance as any to really put it to the best on the grid.
“I'm really proud to have DK Engineering back on the grid as well, and we are running an updated version of our bold pop art livery which was debuted last year. It has already proved highly identifiable with the fans, and it became one of the most featured cars in terms of media coverage over the season.”
Adam, a 16-time British GT race winner with Aston Martin, becomes the seventh factory driver to be confirmed for the upcoming campaign.
“I can’t wait to be joining James and be back with 2 Seas for their British GT campaign this year,” he said. “The championship looks full of strong entries, but with the performance from James and the team last season, it should put us in a strong position from the off to score great points.
“The goal is to put a championship assault together for James and the team throughout 2023. Oulton Park will be special for me, personally, as it will be my 100th race in the championship, and I am counting down the days. Thank you to Aston Martin Racing for allowing me to do this programme this season.”
2 Seas co-owner Isa Al Khalifa added: “We are delighted to confirm another very strong driver pairing for the season with James and Jonny, and this really does underline our commitment to pushing for the ultimate performance and the best results. It is great to welcome James back to the team after such a strong season last year, and he really proved himself to be a contender against much more experienced drivers. We were unable to secure a first race win together, but we are starting in a good position heading into the year, and feeling confident that we can tick that box.
“It is also really exciting to have one of British GT’s most successful drivers back with the team. Jonny has proven himself to be the one to beat over the past few years, taking the title four times and about to take his 100th race start. He brings some great experience, and we are looking forward to seeing him and James in action together. With this pair, and Ian and Jules alongside them in the garage, we will be pushing to challenge for results from round 1, and fighting for the championship.”
Oulton Park hosts this year’s Intelligent Money British GT Championship season opener on April 8 & 10.