Optimum Motorsport takes their first win of the season in Total Quartz Ginetta GT5 Challenge

Gary Simms delivered Optimum Motorsport’s first race win of the 2012 campaign with a lights to flag victory in the first race of the weekend at Rockingham.

Simms and fellow Optimum Motorsport team mate, Thiago Calvet, were blisteringly quick all weekend around the Corby circuit and would have blocked out the front row of the grid but for Calvet having his fastest lap and what would have been pole from Simms by just 7/100th taken away for exceeding track limits.

The opening race saw Simms lead the 24 car grid in to turn one from which he controlled things through to the flag ahead of Sean Huyton and Mike Robinson in third.

Optimum Motorsport team mates Calvet took 4th and Lee Mowle 7th.

“I am delighted to have got my first G40 win and Optimum Motorsport’s first GT5 Challenge win of the new season,” said Simms. “I only had limited time in the car prior to the opening round at Oulton Park and suffered a little as a result, but was able to test at Rockingham prior this weekend and feel much more at home now in the car.”

Simms followed up his race win with a second place in race two, with team mate Mowle taking 7th and Optimum Motorsport’s latest recruit, David Barker, rounding out the top 10 with his best performance of his career to date.

A drama packed final race of the day saw a third podium of the weekend for Simms slip from his grasp with a last lap brake issue that dropped him down to 9th, his team mate Mowle recovering from a start line incident that saw him drop from 5th to last after contact heading down to Turn 1 rounded out the top 10.

“It was a great weekend for Gary and the team,” said Team Principal Shaun Goff. “Gary is now up to third in the Driver’s championship and Optimum clawed back some of the deficit from Oulton Park moving us to second in the Team championship. This years things are very close, the Championship is probably at it’s most competitive, and we have seen a raft of drivers battling for podium finishes which makes for great racing."

Optimum travel to Brands Hatch in two weeks' time for Round 3.