There is set to be a battle royal in the G4 class in the upcoming Silverstone endurance round of the Avon Tyres British GT Championship with a number of new cars joining the grid for the 15 August event.
Confirmed runners for the two-hour race alongside the G4 class regulars include Ginetta entries for Ian Stinton/Paul Marsh and for brothers Benjie and Freddie Hetherington.
Stinton was third overall in the GT4 class in last year’s championship and returns with his Stark Racing Ginetta G50 after spending much of the 2010 season on the sidelines. He was partnered by 18-year-old Marsh at last year’s Knockhill meeting, where Stark Racing bagged its only class victory of the season. “Hopefully we can repeat the trick at Silverstone,” said Stinton. “The long race should suit us and Paul is a quick young driver.”
The Hetherington brothers’ G50 will be run by Century Motorsport alongside the sister car of championship regulars Nathan Freke and Vibe Smed. Century boss Freke believes Benjie and Freddie will spring a surprise on their championship debuts: “They have never tackled a race this long but they are both very quick drivers,” he said. “The Ginetta may not be the quickest car in a straight line but we have a good set up and they will be running without any success ballast. They should go well.” The Hetheringtons are also confirmed for the late-August Snetterton rounds of British GT.
The Rockingham class-winning Chad Racing KTM X-Bow will be in action once more at Silverstone, this time with Kevin Veltman partnering the car’s Greek owner, Athanasios Ladas. The 25-year-old Dutchman is a front-running BMW pilot from the FIA GT4 European Cup. Ladas’s Rockingham co-driver, Michael Mallock, will be on the Silverstone pit wall helping oversee Chad’s operation.
G4 class leaders Jamie Stanley and Christian Dick will be at Silverstone with their Ginetta to defend their points advantage for the Speedworks Motorsport team, as will the rapid Piranha Motorsport 2-Eleven shared by Simon Mason and Chris Bialan, and championship manager Benjamin Franassovicci is expecting them to face their stiffest challenge of the year to date: “Several more G4 entries are likely to be confirmed later this week and it is all looking very exciting for Silverstone.”
Some Invitation class entries are expected also, including a modified Ginetta G50 for father and son pairing Peter and Matt Smith. It’s very much a toe-in-the-water exercise for the Essex-based duo, who got together to share a car this season after learning the solo racing ropes in the Ginetta G20 Challenge.
Their Reflex Racing GB-prepared machine bears allegiance to the British Kidney Patients Association. Explains Peter: “I was diagnosed with kidney cancer 10 years ago and decided to take up racing while I could. We are out to celebrate the fact that I am still here racing, and to enjoy ourselves and help raise awareness for kidney patients. We have always wanted to do some longer-distance races and this is a good opportunity to test the water.”
British GT is sponsored by UK tyre manufacturer Avon Tyres and is further supported by Sunoco Racing Fuels, Anglo American Oil Company and The Independent.
