After the success of the Silverstone two-hour endurance classic earlier this month, the Avon Tyres British GT Championship returns to its customary twin-race format at the Snetterton circuit in Norfolk on Bank Holiday Monday (30 Aug).
Heading the entry for rounds nine and 10 of the championship is the David Ashburn/Glynn Geddie Trackspeed Porsche 997 GT3R, the victor at Silverstone and also twice at Rockingham last month. However, the duo’s success streak carries with it a literal burden in terms of success ballast, and the more nimble Ferraris, headed by MTECH’s 430 Scuderia for Duncan Cameron and Matt Griffin, will start with a useful advantage.
“Three race wins in a row means the Ashburn/Geddie Porsche will be a heavy, heavy car at Snetterton,” says championship manager Benjamin Franassovicci. “Trackspeed will give it everything, as always, but they have a fight on their hands.” London-based Ashburn is currently 26 points clear in the overall standings.
In the ultra-competitive G4 class, season-long points leaders Christian Dick and Jamie Stanley will be racing a rather lighter Speedworks Motorsport Ginetta G50 following their twin defeats by the ABG KTM at Rockingham and their retirement at Silverstone, but they will still run at a major disadvantage at Snetterton when compared with class rivals such as the quick and exciting Piranha Motorsport Lotus 2-Eleven of Chris Bialan and Simon Mason and the Ginetta of Vibe Smed/Nathan Freke.
Fresh from race-winning success in the Ginetta G50 Cup at Silverstone yesterday (Sunday), Benji Hetherington returns at Snetterton with his brother, Freddie, to race their ultra-competitive Century Motorsport car in British GT. The duo led G4 for many miles in the Silverstone enduro and will be keen to underline their potential.
There’s a new entry in G4 from David Appleby Engineering: an Aston Martin to be shared by David’s son, James, and Aston GT4 Challenge series leader Ant Scragg. “We are dipping our toe in the GT racing water at Snetterton,” said James, a motorsport engineering student at Bristol, “with a view to a full season, in Britain or in Europe, in 2011.” James, 21, and 23-year-old Ant usually drive with their fathers and compete against each other in the Aston series. “We’ve had some fierce battles,” says James, “but we have great respect for each other and are well matched for speed. Joining forces and stepping up to British GT is an exciting prospect.”
Adds Franassovicci: “We welcome Aston Martin as the fifth different brand in the G4 class this season and look forward to James and Ant enjoying a great debut. We hope to see more of them, and further brands, during the rest of the season.”
Last year’s Snetterton outright race winners - the Rosso Verde Ferrari of Hector Lester/Allan Simonsen and the David/Godfrey Jones Preci-Spark Ascari - will be back in action and hoping to repeat the feat, and ranged against them will be a quality GT3 field of Ferraris, a Ford GT, Aston Martin and possibly as many as three Moslers.
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.
Provisional race weekend timetableSunday 29 August: 0930-1030 & 1225-1335 free practice; 1615 qualifyingMonday 30 August: 0900 warm-up; 1200 Round 9 & 1610 Round 10
Provisional UK TV scheduleSunday 12 Sep: 0730 Channel 4 & 2043 Motors TVFull UK & Euro TV schedules: http://bit.ly/bbb0c9
Provisional championship standings after round 8Overall & GT31 David Ashburn 722= Glynn Geddie, Matt Griffin & Duncan Cameron 465 Hector Lester 346 Allan Simonsen 327 Richard Westbrook 268= Adam Wilcox & Phil Burton 2510= David Jones & Godfrey Jones, Philip Walker 24 etc
G41= Christian Dick & Jamie Stanley 433= Rory Butcher & Benjamin Harvey 385= Simon Mason & Chris Bialan 32.57 Athanasios Ladas 228= Matt Bell & Rob Bell 2010= Joe Osborne & Osman Yusuf, Nathan Freke & Vibe Smed 17 etc
The Independent Cup1 David Ashburn 752 Duncan Cameron 493 Hector Lester 35 etc
TWO AUDIS ON THE GRID FOR 2011
The United Autosports team has confirmed that it is to field two of its Audi R8 LMS GT3 sports cars in the Avon Tyres British GT Championship in 2011, in addition to an FIA GT3 campaign and assaults on the Nürburgring and Spa 24-hour races.
Richard Dean, managing director and co-owner of United Autosports, confirmed: “United Autosports will continue in the FIA series but aims to complement this with a full British GT campaign. It makes sense to race in the UK as we’re based in Leeds. We already have a major UK sponsor [West London Audi] and are in negotiation with other potential ‘home’ sponsors. United Autosports made its race debut in the British GT Championship. I’ve been very impressed with the quality and professionalism of the British series and look forward to regularly being a part of it next season.”
Championship manager Benjamin Franassovicci welcomed the announcement: “It is great news for the Avon Tyres British GT Championship. The fantastic grid we gathered for the recent Silverstone two-hour race is indicative of what can be achieved, and what we are hoping to put together on a regular basis next season. The support of United Autosports will I am sure lead to other top teams joining us.”
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