A CAR prepared and maintained by students at the University of Bolton enjoyed a promising first outing in the new British GT Championships season.

The Ginetta G55 GT4, which is being kept at the university during the season, placed a creditable 28th in the first race of the campaign at Oulton Park in Cheshire despite challenging weather conditions.

The car, driven by Anna Walewska and new team-mate Callum Hawkins-Rowe, handled well throughout practice and qualifying as Kent-based Team Hard, with help from Bolton students, gathered crucial data on the machine’s performance.

That data will help the students to keep the car at peak performance throughout the season under the supervision of their lecturers.

When the first race got under way in pouring rain, Walewska narrowly avoided a spinning Aston Martin GT3 before mastering the slippery conditions and gradually moving up the field, with Hawkins-Rowe completing a mature drive to finish 28th out of 35 competitors.

With the weather worsening, the second race of the day was abandoned after just four laps due to standing water on the track.

The second race of the season will take place at Rockingham Raceway on the last weekend of April.