RACING EXPOSURE :: Club level motorsport e-magazine

Whilst the rest of the country grinds to a halt due to snow and ice, testing continues at Brands Hatch.      Snow over the weekend meant the circuit was covered with a blanket of snow on Monday morning, but this has been cleared sufficiently for testing to continue today.  Conditions remained treacherous, but allowed various teams to start doing shakedown tests and development work on their 2012 cars.

Photo: Gary Parravani / Xynamic

Amongst those were Beechdean Motorsport.   They have been busy preparing for the 2012 British GT Championship with their new GT3 specification Aston Martin V12 Vantage GT3.   This is a factory supported entry and replaces the trusty DBRS9 which they have campaigned over the previous 5 years, in which they took two wins last year.

The new car was exhibited at the recent Autosport Show at the Birmingham NEC, where the white and dark blue machine drew many admiring and appreciating glances.

Darren Turner, one of the official Aston Martin works drivers, was on hand to put the new car through its paces under the watchful gaze of Beechdean’s Andrew Howard.  Howard will team up with BTCC ace Jonny Adam in their challenge for GT3 glory.   The competitive debut will be at Oulton Park for the first weekend of British GT action on the 7th April, where it will meet stiff opposition. Last year saw the new Ferrari 458 Italia make an immediate impact, and 2012 will see several examples join the field, as well as an eclectic mix of GT3, GT4 and Invitational machinery including representation from Porsche, Ginetta, McLaren and Nissan.

British GT has been bucking the general economic malaise recently with increasing grids and media attention.     The 2012 season is to be held over 7 weekends with a variety of different race formats, ranging from double header 1 hour races, 2 hour races and a 3 hour race, which all require slightly different approaches to race strategy and tactics.

British GT is supported by British F3 and Formula Ford – two of the most important stepping stones that a future F1 driver will rise through, as well as the competitive Caterham and the VW Racing Cup series.

Photo by Britishgt.com/Jakob Ebrey Motorsport Photography

The finalised calendar for the 2012 British GT Championship has been announced, with the mixture of double head one hour races, two hour races and a single three hour race completing the calendar.

Following the announcement from October of the provisional calendar, the 2012 calendar follows on from the successful 2011 season, and the stability which has been created over the last two seasons.

For 2012, the series heads to the Nurburgring as support to the 24 Hour race on the Nordschleife, as well as visiting some of the best circuits in the United Kingdom.

Oulton Park in Cheshire will host the opening two rounds of the season over the Easter Weekend, 7/9 April before heading to Germany for the following two one hour races over the 17/18/19 May – the Nurburgring rounds will be played out in front of 150,000 spectators.

Arriving back from Germany, the series then gets ready for the first of the two hour races, to be held on the Rockingham ISS Long Circuit for the first time, Two weeks later, from the concrete lined walls of Rockingham, the series heads to the Brands Hatch Grand Prix circuit for the second two hour race of the season.

Snetterton 300 plays host to the final double header of the season at the beginning of August, a weekend which the Trackspeed outfit will want to forget after last year.

The midlands plays host to the final two races – with Silverstone playing host to the three hour endurance race before Donington Park Grand Prix circuit closes out the season over the 29/30 September.

“We’re confident that the 2012 championship will be the best yet,” said a positive Benjamin Franassovici, SRO’s championship manager.

“2011 was a great year for us and we built a solid foundation for this season. We’ve decided not to meddle with a formula that is proven to work, instead we’re adding to the series on and off track and adding clarity to the regulations to improve understanding.”

2012 is shaping up to be an extremely competitive season with a number of significant entries having been announced already and there will be more to follow ahead of the first entry deadline – Tuesday, 31 January.

The final entry deadline is Tuesday 29 February and for Franassovici, he is looking forward to the season ahead: “Judging by the unprecedented levels of interest we have already had for January we are on track for another exciting British GT season. We are working on adding some new cars to join us this season and I can’t wait for race one at Oulton Park.”

Official 2012 Avon Tyres British GT Championship Calendar:

Next year’s exciting Avon Tyres British GT Championship will include a blue riband round at the prestigious Nürburgring 24 Hours meeting, it is confirmed today.

The British GT field will entertain the vast Nürburgring crowd, which topped 200,000 in 2010, ahead of the main event and on the 3.2-mile Grand Prix circuit. It will be a race to remember, says championship manager Benjamin Franassovici: “We are extremely pleased to be able to announce this. The Nürburgring 24 Hours is an historic and very special race, and to be a part of it will be great for everyone connected with the Avon Tyres British GT Championship.”

The confirmation of the German date has meant a small revision to the calendar, with the Rockingham rounds, which had been scheduled for 26/27 May, pushed back by a fortnight to 9/10 June.

A new championship brochure highlighting all aspects of the series for competitors and sponsors is available for download now from the championship website at www.britishgt.com

“We believe it is a useful and essential tool for drivers, teams and sponsors,” adds Franassovici. “It is different from the usual media reviews/presentations: the 2012 version reflects the series’ direction to be a strong and stable GT platform for all the stakeholders. To further help drivers and teams, some blank slides are available in order to make the presentation ‘bespoke’ in team colours.”

The British GT Championship is sponsored by UK tyre manufacturer Avon Tyres and is further supported by Sunoco Racing Fuels, Anglo American Oil Company.

Revised provisional calendar 2012 Avon Tyres British GT Championship

21 Mar Silverstone Championship launch & media day
07-09 Apr Oulton Park British F3 & GT
17-19 May Nürburgring GP Nürburgring 24 Hours
09/10 Jun Rockingham British F3 & GT
23/24 Jun Brands Hatch GP British F3 & GT
04/05 Aug Snetterton 300 British F3 & GT
08/09 Sep Silverstone GP British F3 & GT
29/30 Sep Donington Park GP British F3 & GT

Pic: Surreal Illusions Motorsport Photography

Pic: Jakob Ebrey

British GT and British F3 have both announced their provisional 2012 race calendar.

21 Mar – Silverstone GP – Championship launch & media day

06/07 Apr Oulton Park  British F3 & GT

tba Nurburgring GP British GT only

14/15 Apr Monza, Italy Blancpain Endurance Series – F3 only

11-13 May Pau, France  Grand Prix de Pau – F3 only

26/27 May Rockingham  British F3 & GT

23/24 Jun Brands Hatch GP  British F3 & GT

29 Jun-01 Jul Paul Ricard, France  Blancpain Endurance Series – F3 only

26-28 Jul Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium  Blancpain Endurance Series – F3 only

04/05 Aug Snetterton 300  British F3 & GT

08/09 Sep Silverstone GP  British F3 & GT

29/30 Sep Donington Park GP  British F3 & GT

At the moment this is a provisional calendar and all dates and circuits are subject to change

A seven-meeting calendar featuring the UK’s best circuits and a repeat of the successful mix of one, two and three-hour races are planned by the SRO Motorsports Group for next season’s Avon Tyres British GT Championship.

British GT will once again visit Oulton Park, Rockingham, Snetterton and the Grand Prix circuits of Brands Hatch, Silverstone and Donington Park. Next year’s overseas round will take place on the German Grand Prix circuit at the Nürburgring.

“The mix of circuits and race formats which were introduced in 2011 proved very popular,” said championship manager Benjamin Franassovici, “and we were keen to retain this element for the coming season. The one calendar change of any note is that we will be visiting the superb Nürburgring.

“2011 has been a huge success for the Avon Tyres British GT Championship, not only with the numbers of cars entered but more importantly the quality of the machinery mixed with some great racing, which led to great unpredictability. We feel at this time that stability is key to building the championship: we need evolution, not revolution, and we are confident of providing teams, drivers and partners with another great package next year. There is more to come in the next few weeks. I cannot wait for round 1 at Oulton Park!”

The exact race format for each meeting has yet to be cast in stone, but it is likely that there will be 120-minute races at three of the meetings, one three-hour event, probably at Silverstone, with double-header 60-minute races at the other meetings.

“Interest for next year is already very encouraging,” adds Franassovici, “both in GT4 and in GT3, and new teams and drivers are enquiring in addition to established championship runners. In terms of rules and regulations, 2012 will be very similar to this season, and it is this stability which makes the championship as attractive as it is.

“The ‘pro-am’ driver pairings will continue to be an essential part of the British GT platform, and two-car teams will be encouraged and will be rewarded by a revised points system for the team championship.”

The calendar and plans have been welcomed by Keith Cheetham of Trackspeed, the champion team of 2010 and ’11: “We are planning to return to British GT in 2012 with two cars, and look forward to claiming our third consecutive championship title. It’s a series which rewards consistency, and we will be aiming for that next year. The calendar looks good, with a good range of circuits which should suit different chassis.”

Andrew Tate, who with driving partner Alex Mortimer won one race in 2011, says he will definitely return next season in a two-car team alongside champion Jim Geddie. “One win was not enough, I want multiple wins next year and to snatch the title off my team mates,” he added. “Both Jim and myself will be driving for our own team, Apex Cin Energy Motorsport.”

The British GT Championship is sponsored by UK tyre manufacturer Avon Tyres and is further supported by Sunoco Racing Fuels, Anglo American Oil Company.

The formula which has helped to rejuvenate the Avon Tyres British GT Championship in 2011 is set to be replicated for the coming season, and all the signs are that an even greater number of competitors will be taking part.

The average entry for this season’s events was 27, with a high of 31 at Brands Hatch and Silverstone. “Next year is looking even better,” says SRO’s championship manager Benjamin Franassovici. “Interest is running at very high levels, not just for GT3 but for GT4 also.”

Franassovici says that calendar and rules stability will be key to the continued success of British GT: “Both the calendar and the regulations will remain very similar in 2012, with one three-hour race and a mix of two-hour and twin one-hour races, spread over seven meetings. The dates have yet to be fixed but we will, provisionally, be visiting Oulton Park, Brands Hatch GP, Snetterton 300, Rockingham, Donington Park GP, Silverstone GP and a European circuit.

“Many exciting cars, like the Ferrari 458 Italia, the Mercedes AMG SLS, the Audi R8 LMS and Corvette Z06R, joined the championship for the first time in 2011, and I am expecting more for next year, headed of course by the McLaren MP4-12C. It is going to be another great season.”

The 2011 Avon Tyres British GT Championship title was secured earlier this month by father-and-son pairing Jim and Glynn Geddie and their CRS Racing Ferrari 458 Italia, and they are expected to return to defend their crown. “I think we will definitely be back in 2012,” said Jim. “We didn’t have the best of starts this season, so I’d like to come back properly prepared and having tested over the winter and be on the ball from the first race.”

The season brought race victories in GT3 for 2010 champion David Ashburn and his driving partner Richard Westbrook, and for their Trackspeed Porsche team-mates Gregor Fisken and Tim Bridgman. Their three wins, plus four further podiums between them, netted the teams championship for Trackspeed for the second successive season.

The season’s other race winners were the United Autosports Audi team with Mike Guasch and Matt Bell; Beechdean Motorsport and Barwell with their Aston Martin, driven by Andrew Howard and Jonny Adam; and Ferrari teams Scuderia Vittoria, MTECH and CRS, with their respective pairings Michael Lyons/Charles Bateman, Duncan Cameron/Matt Griffin and AlexMortimer/Andrew Tate.

The GT4 class battle was a season-long cliffhanger with class race wins for the Lotus Sport UK, Scuderia Vittoria Ginetta, Century Motorsport Ginetta and ABG KTM teams; ABG men Peter Belshaw and Marcus Clutton claimed the class championship title. “I would like to congratulate Lotus Sport UK for winning the GT4 championship team prize,” said Franassovici. “The team did a great job to win this in its first year of British GT; well done to the Lotus boys.”

The GT3B class championship was secured by MTECH Ferrari men Aaron Scott and John Dhillon, and the GT Cup class title by Chevron drivers Jordan Witt and Anthony Reid.

“I would also like to congratulate Jim and Glynn, Trackspeed, Marcus and Peter, John and Aaron and Jordan and Anthony for their championship wins in what has been a very competitive and hard-fought season,” added Franassovici.

The British GT Championship is sponsored by UK tyre manufacturer Avon Tyres and is further supported by Sunoco Racing Fuels, Anglo American Oil Company and OAMPS.

Avon Tyres British GT Championship on TV
The two-hour Silverstone season finale, in which the Geddies clinched their title, is to be screened tomorrow (Saturday) in the UK, at 7am on Channel 4 and at 1250pm on Motors TV. The championship season review will be aired on Motors TV on 27 November.

Pic: Jakob Ebrey

Despite not winning a race all season, consistency proved the key to the title for the #10 Ferrari

Father/Son duo of Glynn and Jim Geddie have won the 2011 British GT Championship, thanks to a great drive (and perhaps a bit of luck) from both drivers in the final race on the Silverstone GP circuit. Despite qualifying only 9th and a few tenths away from the top 3, Glynn believed the car could be better for the race. However, with some of their title rivals fading by the way side thanks to penalties and/or retirements, the Championship leaders going into the final race pulled off a great recovery to get the points needed for the title.

Majority of the teams ran their 2nd driver first, doing a shorter first stint, allowing their 1st and faster driver to complete the race with the longest stint. The only requirement that each driver does at least 45 minutes, resulting in a one stop strategy for everyone.

Aston Martin of Howard/Adam take their 2nd win of the season

At the start, it was initially the 3rd Audi of Joe Osborne and Zak Brown and the #5 Ferrari of Charles Bateman and Michael Lyons that led away after battling their way past the outgoing champion of David Ashburn, who struggled in the opening stages, and the pole position car of the Aston Martin, driven in the opening stint by Andrew Howard, again, also struggling in the opening laps, but eventually regaining pace and 3rd place by the first 30 minute mark.

The leading pair pulled away from the battling pack, pegging each other till traffic and a damaged rear spoiler on the Bateman/Lyons car meant they lost over a second a lap some laps, and dropped back from the Audi after what looked like a promising fight and a chance for the title for the Ferrari pair.

The battling pack behind the top 2 provided much of the entertainment in the early stages, with Ashburn holding on gallantly from the chasing Ferrari’s, Mercedes and Audi’s.

After half an hour, the top 10 was: 29 (Osborne), 5 (Bateman), 7 (Howard), 22 (Jones), 2 (Fisken), 1 (Ashburn), 21 (Cameron), 20 (Draper), 23 (Guasch), 10 (Geddie).

Andrew Jordan was enjoying his 2nd outing in a GT race this year, in the bright orange Ginetta G55 partnering Tom Sharp, battling with the CRS Ferrari of Andrew Tate. Numerous times going side by side before eventually getting past a few laps before their pit stop.

Another Touring Car driver going well for the 2nd time in 2 weeks was Gorden Shedden, once again partnering Hector Lester and out pacing his more experienced team mate. Shedden even trying to get past Tim Bridgman late on in the race despite being a lap down on the Porsche.

A lengthy safety car period intervened at the 57th minute and caused havoc with the leading cars. Although most cars had done their one and only pit stop before the safety car starting at the 51st minute, a few pitted under the safety car, caused by the GT3 Aston Martin of Paul White hitting the barriers over the far side of the circuit at Club corner.

After a bit of reshuffling, with a few winners and losers as Race Control tried to sort out the order, with Westbrook almost losing out in the safety car period, getting increasingly frustrated with the Chevron of David Witt (father of Jordan Witt in the sister Chevron) as they lapped slowly trying to catch up with the safety car train. Eventually, after about 20 minutes, the safety car pulled off after all the cars were behind it and with the race leader the leading car.

Safety car restart Order: 29 (Brown), 5 (Lyons), 22 (Jones), 7 (Adam), 1 (Westbrook), 10 (Geddie), 21 (Griffin), 2 (Bridgman), 20 (Draper), 23 (Bell).

The safety car restart was bad news for Tom Sharp, retiring after contact near the Wing, and pulling off outside the new pit complex, thankfully though in a safe place leaving the race as a race and not bringing out another Safety Car.

However, up front, a fantastic part of the race was unfolding, where Glynn Geddie now at the hands of the #10 Ferrari, showed why he was never going to give up on the title.

Adam, Jones, Westbrook and Geddie were in a nose to tail in fight for 3rd, with the Jones Mercedes starting to drop down the order.

Adam in the Beechdean Aston Martin gets into second with a pass on the Lyons Ferrari, with Griffin and Bridgman side by side through Luffield, Griffin just holding on to the spot. The Aston was on the move again as Brown in the leading Audi with a 1.5 second lead was being caught at a rate of 3 seconds per lap. No surprise then when Adam in the Aston Martin snatches the lead from Brown.

Numerous penalties and retirements affected the championship contenders. Matt Griffin took a 12s stop/go penalty for a pitlane infringement, Mike Gausch/Matt Bell in the #24 Audi pulled into the garage following contact and Michael Lyons served a drive through penalty for not respecting the track limits.

That left David Ashburn within the chance of retaining his title despite being an outsider coming into the final round, with his hopes in the hands of Westbrook, holding onto 2nd place behind the leading Aston, provided Glynn Geddie could do no better than 4th.

Holding that 3rd place that would gift them the championship was Brown in the Audi, but Geddie fought his way through, and began to close on Westbook in the final stages of the race.

The Audi dropping back, losing 5th place to the Mercedes before the end of the race.

Westbrook was slowing and Geddie was hassling the Porsche for the 2nd, even though that 3rd place would net them the title. Jim Geddie in the pitlane was apprehensive, its not over till that chequered flag falls – the race was not yet over and the championship was not yet won. They needn’t of worried though, despite the Ferrari drivers best efforts, he had to settle for 3rd, but it was enough for the title.

“Qualifying wasn‚’t great but come the race Jim did a great job” Glynn said. “He had a close call with a couple of cars and then when the safety car came out on the lap that we pitted, it looked like a disaster for us. But everything worked out okay in the end.”

“The last couple of laps were a bit intense as I tried to get a step up the podium; in the end I backed out of it because we had won the championship”

Father Glynn was equally delighted with the championship title: “I don’t think it’s sunk in yet” he said. “I was so nervous I was sick before the race, and I was sick again after I got out of the car. I would definitely like to come back to defend the title next year. We didn’t have the best of starts to our season but I’m delighted to have won it. I’d like to come back next year after some proper winter testing and be on the ball from the first race.”

The KTM proved victorious in the GT4 class

In the GT4 class, the KTM of Peter Belshaw/Marcus Clutton had all but the Championship wrapped up, with the Lotus of Freddy Nordstrom/Leyton Clarke battling with the 2 Ginetta’s of Dan Denis and Jake Rattenbury/Josh Wakefield, all still within a shot of the GT4 title, however a steady drive to 2nd in class by the KTM secured them the title. The Lotus of Chris Holmes and Phil Glew took a comfortable victory in the GT4 class from pole position.

Provisional results GT3 & overall

GT3

1 Beechdean Aston Martin Andrew Howard/Jonny Adam 2h 01m 26.220s / 97.68mph

2 Trackspeed Porsche David Ashburn/Richard Westbrook +22.738s

3 CRS Racing Ferrari Jim Geddie/Glynn Geddie +22.939s

4 Trackspeed Porsche Gregor Fisken/Tim Bridgman +37.231s

5 Preci-Spark Mercedes David Jones/Godfrey Jones +43.170s

6 United Autosports Audi Joe Osborne/Zak Brown (USA) +56.941s

7 Scuderia Vittoria Ferrari Michael Lyons/Charles Bateman +1m 14.286s

8 MTECH Ferrari Julien Draper/Matthew Draper +1m 20.669s

9 MTECH Ferrari Duncan Cameron/Matt Griffin (IRL) +1m 23.848s

10 CRS Racing Ferrari Andrew Tate/Alex Mortimer 53 laps

GT3B

1 Backdraft Lamborghini Simon Atkinson/James Pickford 45 laps

GT4

1 Lotus Sport UK Lotus Chris Holmes/Phil Glew 52 laps

2 ABG Motorsport KTM Peter Belshaw/Marcus Clutton 51 laps

3 Scuderia Vittoria Ginetta Dan Denis/David McDonald 51 laps

4 Century Motorsport Ginetta Josh Wakefield/Jake Rattenbury 50 laps

5 Magic Ginetta Stewart Linn/Chris Midmark (SWE) 50 laps

6 Lotus Sport UK Lotus Leyton Clarke/Freddy Nordstrom 49 laps

7 Secure/Barwell Aston Martin Peter Erceg/Tiff Needell 49 laps

GT Cup

1 Chevron Racing Chevron Jordan Witt/Anthony Reid 52 laps

2 Chevron Racing Chevron David Witt/Ray Grimes 50 laps

Final Championship Positions (Top 10):

British GT3 Drivers Championship

1 GT3 Glynn Geddie 144

1 GT3 Jim Geddie 144

2 GT3 David Ashburn 130

3 GT3 Matt Griffin 116.5

3 GT3 Duncan Cameron 116.5

4 GT3 Michael Lyons 116.5

4 GT3 Charles Bateman 116.5

5 GT3 Andrew Howard 113.5

5 GT3 Jonathan Adam 113.5

6 GT3 Matt Bell 110.5

6 GT3 Michael Guasch 110.5

7 GT3 Gregor Fisken 107.5

7 GT3 Tim Bridgman 107.5

8 GT3 David Jones 98

8 GT3 Godfrey Jones 98

9 GT3 Richard Westbrook 89

10 GT3 Hector Lester 88.5

British GT4 Drivers Championship

1 GT4 Marcus Clutton 205.5

1 GT4 Peter Belshaw 205.5

2 GT4 Dan Denis 164

2 GT4 David McDonald 164

3 GT4 Freddy Nordstrom 164

3 GT4 Leyton Clarke 164

4 GT4 Jake Rattenbury 157

4 GT4 Josh Wakefield 157

5 GT4 Phil Glew 139

6 GT4 Ollie Jackson 101.5

7 GT4 Chris Holmes 75.5

8 GT4 Peter Erceg 59

9 GT4 Michael Mallock 51

9 GT4 Athanasios Ladas 51

10 GT4 James Nash 37.5

Report: Nick Deeley
Photography: Surreal Illusions

A 29-car field is expected at Silverstone on Saturday (8 October) for the Avon Tyres British GT Championship showdown, with several new entrants expected on the grid for the two-hour refuelling race which will close the 2011 season.

Among the fresh names joining the championship regulars are Simon Atkinson and James Pickford, who will return the Lamborghini name to British GT with their Backdraft Motorsport-prepared Gallardo GT3 ‘B’ entry. Barwell Motorsport will meanwhile field a double-strength Aston Martin squad, with a GT3 ‘B’ DBRS9 for Paul White and Andy Ruhan alongside the Beechdean Motorsport entry of Rockingham race winners Andrew Howard and Jonathan Adam.

The “Secure Racing with Barwell Motorsport” Aston GT4 car will be raced again by Peter Erceg, joined for the weekend by TV motoring pundit and ex-Ensign F1 racer Tiff Needell.

Silverstone will also mark the return of Ford to British GT, with Peter Bamford and 2007 Champion Bradley Ellis sharing RPM’s GT.

BTCC frontrunner Gordon Shedden is to return after his successful Donington Avon Tyres British GT debut to partner Hector Lester in the Rosso Verde Ferrari 458 Italia, while in GT4 there will be an additional Ginetta G50, former class championStewart Linn returning to drive it with Chris Midmark. Former Aston driver Chris Holmes swaps to the Lotus Sport UK team for Silverstone, joining Phil Glew in the Evora GT4.

Reigning champion David Ashburn, who is one of 12 drivers gunning for the title at Silverstone, will have as his co-driverRichard Westbrook, with whom he shared his Trackspeed Porsche for his wins at Oulton Park and Spa.

In the GT Cup category, Jordan Witt and his co-driver Anthony Reid will face some opposition. For Silverstone there will be two Chevron GR8s in action, the second piloted by Jordan’s dad, David Witt, and Ray Grimes.

“In addition to it being the deciding round of the championship, the Silverstone race has attracted one of the biggest grids of the season,” says championship manager Benjamin Franassovicci. “We welcome the new teams and the returning old faces and look forward to a great battle on the track. British GT is now attracting the best GT cars in the world, with such prestigious brands as Aston Martin, Ferrari, Audi, Porsche and Lotus having enjoyed race or class victories this year. Interest for next year is already running high and with a very similar platform of seven GT meetings, and stable rules, 2012 is going to be as good, if not better.”

The British GT Championship is sponsored by UK tyre manufacturer Avon Tyres and is further supported by Sunoco Racing Fuels, Anglo American Oil Company and OAMPS.

Revised Silverstone timetable
Friday 7 October: 0900-0950 & 1120-1210 testing
Saturday 8 October: 1040 qualifying; 1555 Round 10 (120 mins)

Pic: Jakob Ebrey

United Autosports Bidding For British GT Championship Glory At First Attempt

• Bell & Guasch in “maximum attack” mode as they face uphill battle for BGT honors at Silverstone
• Anglo-American team wins race against time to prepare R8 LMS for Bintcliffe & Palmer

Maximum attack is the only course of action left for Matt Bell (GB) and Mike Guasch (USA) when they line-up for the 10^th and final round of the Avon Tyres British GT Championship at Silverstone (GB) on Saturday (October 8).

The Anglo-American “combo” will start the two-hour finale only third in the championship standings despite eight top-10 results and just one retirement, 11-points off the championship lead.

But with 37.5pts up for grabs for the race winners, the championship “crown” is still on offer to 12 drivers in the title race.

The Leeds-based team has been in a race against time to re-build the John Bintcliffe (GB)/Jay Palmer (GB) R8 LMS. Bintcliffe suffered a high-speed accident in qualifying for the previous round at Donington Park (GB) last month.

The heavy impact with a concrete retaining wall destroyed the #24 Teknavo Audi necessitating a multitude of new parts from quattro GmbH in Germany and subsequently a complete rebuild in readiness for Silverstone’s two-hour race around the 3.66-mile “Grand Prix” track.

Richard Dean and Bell were present for United Autosports’ stunning American Le Mans Series début in which Dean’s fellow team co-owner Zak Brown (USA), United Autosports’ FIA GT3 driver Mark Patterson (USA) and Stefan Johansson (SE) finished second in the LM P2 category in the 1,000-mile Petit Le Mans race last Saturday (October 1).

Avon Tyres British GT Championship (after nine rounds):

1 Geddie/Geddie, 121.5-points

2 Griffin/Cameron, 113.5pts

3 Matt Bell & Mike Guasch, 110.5pts

23 John Bintcliffe & Jay Palmer, 23pts

Championship permutations:

A race win for Bell/Guasch nets them the championship but only if the Geddies are third or lower. Second place would also be good enough so long as Geddies are fifth or lower and the race is not won by Cameron/Griffin, Lyons/Bateman or Ashburn. Third also wins them the title if Geddies are seventh or lower, Ashburn doesn’t win, and Cameron/Griffin and/or Lyons/Bateman are behind.

Provisional Timetable:

Friday October 7 – 0900-0950 BGT Practice 1; 1420-1510 BGT Practice 2

Saturday October 8 – 0935-1010 BGT Qualifying; 1600-1800 BGT Race

* All times are UK “local”

#23 Molecule – Audi R8 LMS

Matt Bell (GB). Age: 21. Born: Newcastle-upon-Tyne, T&W. Lives: Barningham, N. Yorks, England:

“We have certainly a mountain to climb at Silverstone. Even if we win the race, it’s down to where other people finish in terms of the championship. So we just need to make sure we do a good job and win the race and then see if luck has been with us. The FIA GT3 races at Silverstone in June didn’t go particularly well for us but the Audi is better now. I do believe we are down in terms of the ‘Balance of Performance’ compared to the Ferraris and Porsches. They have more aero parts which gives them more grip and that’s where we struggle in comparison.”

Michael Guasch (USA). Age: 53. Born: Palo Alto, California. Lives: Walnut Creek, California, USA:

“I have raced at Silverstone previously and while it’s not one of my favorite tracks it could be depending on the result! We will be competitive but cannot afford to make any mistakes. The mistakes in the previous race at Donington were all down to me – the team was flawless. I will be looking to make amends, rest assured of that.”

Richard Dean (GB), Managing Director & Co-Owner of United Autosports:

“Our goal is simple. We concentrate solely on winning the race and not thinking about the championship. We need to be decisive and aggressive.”

Lotus Sport UK head to Silverstone with a clear goal in mind – get both cars on the podium and take the GT4 championship.

It has been a fantastic first season for the Lotus Sport UK team which has seen regular drivers Leyton Clarke and Freddy Nordstrom put in consistent performances over the course of the year to head in to the last race weekend with a chance to take the GT4 title.

The last round at Donington Park saw Phil Glew and British Touring Car Championship star James Nash lead home the #48 Lotus Evora in first place. Glew will be looking for a repeat performance this weekend as he is joined by former Aston Martin GT4 driver Chris Holmes.

With the heat wave of the previous weekend gone and the typical October weather closing in the team are hoping for rain as the Evora is very strong on a wet track.

Team Manager Gary Ayles said: “Were delighted to welcome Chris into the team, he’s a quick peddler and should work well with Phil. Obviously we can still clinch the GT4 title so let’s hope Freddy and Leyton can do the business on Saturday, and bring home the GT4 championship to Lotus Sport UK.”

The team got finished todays testing at the top of the GT4 class with Glew and Holmes leading the way. Glew said, “The car was mega, we had a few teething issues with the gearbox early on, but then it was really hooked up! Looking forward to qualifying now”

Holmes made his return to the cockpit today and was happy with the results”It’s great to get back in a car for the first time since Spa. I was a bit rusty but that soon wore off, and now it’s just a case of learning the car.”

Ayles added, “Both cars ran well today and Chris was bang on the pace straight away, looking forward to two podiums tomorrow!”

United Autosports Look To Maintain Championship Lead As BGT Resumes After Summer Break

The Avon Tyres British GT Championship roars back into action after an eight-week summer lay-off with United Autosports’ series leading duo Matt Bell (GB) and Mike Guasch (USA) hungry to add to their already impressive points haul.

Bell & Guasch enjoy a slender two-point lead with four races remaining – which includes the two, one-hour races at Rockingham.

The event marks the first time United Autosports and the Audi R8 LMS have ever raced on the 1.94-mile track near Corby, Northamptonshire, but Bell and Guasch are eager to add to their impressive results tally; victory (Snetterton), second (Oulton Park), third (Oulton Park), fourth and sixth placings (both Spa).

Meanwhile racing returnees John Bintcliffe and Jay Palmer are aiming to improve on their best placing of fifth place (Snetterton) to haul themselves inside the championship top-10 in what is the Anglo-American team’s maiden BGT season.

A field in excess of 22 cars is expected at Rockingham with 16 of them contesting the top-level GT3 category. Rockingham’s twin races are the last one-hour events on the British GT calendar: in late September the crews face their toughest test of the year, a three-hour classic at Donington Park, which will be followed by a two-hour curtain closer at Silverstone in October.

Avon Tyres British GT Championship (after six rounds):

1 Matt Bell & Mike Guasch, 90.5-points

2 Geddie/Geddie, 88.5pts

3 Griffin/Cameron, 76pts

12 John Bintcliffe & Jay Palmer, 23pts

Provisional Timetable:

Saturday September 3 – 0900-1000 Practice 1; 1145-1245 Practice; 1620-1655 Qualifying

Sunday September 4 – 1000-1010 Warm-up; 1250-1350 Race 1; 1625-1725 Race 2

* All times are UK “local”

#23 Molecule – Audi R8 LMS

Matt Bell (GB). Age: 21. Born: Newcastle-upon-Tyne, T&W. Lives: Barningham, N. Yorks, England:

“I’ve had two rounds of the FIA GT3 series plus the Spa 24 Hours to keep me busy since the last BGT race. I raced at Rockingham in last season’s Ginetta G50 Championship but tested the Audi pre-season there this year. The title race is very close so Mike and I must avoid any non-scores. That said, we’ll focus on winning rather than settling for points. We have some very experienced and quick competitors chasing us, so if we take our foot off the gas it will give them the upper hand heading into the final races. I would prefer to be at the top heading into the last round than chasing the leaders!”

Michael Guasch (USA). Age: 53. Born: Palo Alto, California. Lives: Walnut Creek, California, USA:

“I have twice tested at Rockingham, neither occasion in the R8 LMS, and found the track fun to drive. It has a little bit of everything – tight and technical turns plus high-speed ones and I believe the Audi will work well there. Since Spa, I’ve been testing my Pro Formula Mazda back home in California to stay in shape and will also take in a Formula Car Challenge Race at Infineon Raceway in California this coming weekend. The BGT Championship appears to get more competitive with every race. We must push hard, especially in qualifying.”

#24 Teknavo – Audi R8 LMS

John Bintcliffe (GB). Age: 45. Born: Bridlington, E. Yorks. Lives: Harrogate, N. Yorkshire, England & Jay Palmer (GB). Age: 38. Born: Harrogate. Lives: Harrogate & London, England / Barbados.

Richard Dean (GB), Managing Director & Co-Owner of United Autosports:

“Our team has been busy since Spa BGT, taking in two FIA races at Paul Ricard, the Spa 24 Hours, and then another two FIA races in Slovakia. We also competed in a GRAND-AM race at Watkins Glen, so have been busy both sides of the Atlantic. This event will mark United Autosports’ first races at Rockingham and happens to be the only track in the UK that I haven’t personally raced at. We tested there earlier in the year but unfortunately our running was restricted by fog! We have led the British series since May but haven’t won since May so I think that confirms points mean prizes. We must be mindful of strong finishes are preferable to going for individual glory. I believe our pace is getting better and the Balance of Performance is getting more even as the season progresses. Rockingham should suit the Audi so I think two podiums are within our reach.”

The Trackspeed and MTech teams shared the Avon Tyres British GT Championship glory at Spa-Francorchamps today, claiming a win apiece to shake up the championship standings. Through it all, however, came the United Autosports pairing of Mike Guasch and Matt Bell to retain a slender points lead.

Round 5 report

Reigning champion David Ashburn and his co-driver Richard Westbrook claimed their second win of the Avon Tyres British GT Championship this morning at Spa-Francorchamps, their Trackspeed Porsche beating the Duncan Cameron/Matt Griffin MTech Ferrari to the chequered flag by 2.5s after an hour of fraught action. In GT4, Dan Denis and David McDonald claimed their first class victory for the Scuderia Vittoria team.

Westbrook sealed his victory thanks to some deft pitwork by the Trackspeed team and masterly handling of the traffic by the driver. A mid-race safety car period – brought into play when cars from some of the other championships involved in the race fell by the wayside – gave all the frontrunners the opportunity to pit together for their driver changes; Westbrook took over in front after the stops and handled the restart perfectly to pull a five-second gap over Griffin.

Though Matt whittled that advantage down to less than a second in the closing laps, and even managed briefly to nose ahead, his effort came too late to prevent Westbrook’s victory. “It was the safety car which killed us because Westie somehow managed to put a lapped car between him and me,” said Griffin. “We lost five seconds at the restart as a result and I pushed very hard to catch him, maybe hurting my tyres a little in the process. I made a good passing manoeuvre on him at Les Combes, but it was too slippery to hold it and he got me back.”

Cameron had put in a solid first stint in the MTech Ferrari, pitting from third behind the Ashburn/Westbrook Porsche and the new McLaren MP4-12C, which was making its international track debut as an non-points scoring invitation class runner. Chris Goodwin held the lead in the CRS Racing-run McLaren all the way to the 10th lap, before surrendering top spot to Ashburn and following him into the pits.

After the stops the McLaren held fifth for a lap before contact with another car resulted in a spin and a considerable loss of time. The MP4-12C was classified 12th overall.

Westbrook put the team’s victory down to good traffic management: “The Porsche isn’t really a match for a well-driven Ferrari 458, so you have to do as much as can; use your head, make a break with the traffic and that’s the only way we can compete. It was a good race, and in the end I just had enough. Matt was eating into my lead at the end. It was tough. It’s always nice to win, and all credit to David for bringing the car into the pits in the lead.”

The CRS Racing Ferrari 458 of father-and-son pairing Jim and Glynn Geddie claimed third, Jim driving well in the early laps to haul the car up from eighth on the grid to fifth before the stops; Glynn soon moved into third and closed down on the leaders to cross the line only 5s behind.

Andrew Tate and Alex Mortimer were another pairing to make good progress from a lowly grid slot, converting 12th on the grid to fourth at the line, ahead of the Andrew Howard/Jonathan Adam Beechdean Aston Martin, which picked off the faltering Trackspeed Porsche of Gregor Fisken/Tim Bridgman on the penultimate lap. Bridgman’s sixth became seventh on the final lap when he was passed by the United Autosports Audi of Mike Guasch/Matt Bell.

Phil Burton/Adam Wilcox claimed eighth in the Predator CCTV Ferrari, just ahead of the Ron Johnson/Piers Johnson Speedworks Corvette, which enjoyed a strong and reliable run to ninth and the team’s first points of the year. Godfrey and David Jones, the only front-runners not to pit at the start of the safety car period, completed the top 10 in the Preci-Spark Mercedes.

For once everything went right for the Scuderia Vittoria GT4 pairing of Dan Denis and David McDonald; Denis started from the pole in the Ginetta G50 and led comfortably all the way to the stops, and McDonald maintain the gap over the pursuing Ginetta of Josh Wakefield and Jake Rattenbury to score a handsome class victory, the duo’s first of the season.

“My qualifying yesterday was fantastic,” said Denis. “I got a good start and built a comfortable lead, and my pace was good. I was a bit worried when the safety car came out that I would lose my big lead but the team did a great job in the pits and David drove quickly and sensibly. It’s great finally to get a win.”

Round 6 report
Duncan Cameron, Matt Griffin and the MTech team ran out the winners of the second Spa-Francorchamps race this afternoon, taking their first victory of the season at the wheel of their new Ferrari 458 Italia. They beat the Gregor Fisken/Tim Bridgman Trackspeed Porsche to the chequered flag by 0.9s, with Aston Martin drivers Andrew Howard and Jonathan Adam third for the Beechdean Motorsport team. In GT4, Ollie Jackson and Phil Glew claimed their first class win of the season, and a maiden win for the Lotus Evora GT4.

First-race victor Richard Westbrook led the way from pole position for Trackspeed, building an eight-second lead by the eighth lap, but his team-mate, reigning champion David Ashburn, failed to get his turn at the wheel – the Porsche collected some tyre damage on lap nine and was forced to retire to the pits.

That put Griffin, who had made a cautious start in the slippery early laps, into top spot for six laps until he pitted to hand the Ferrari over to Cameron. The rest of the top five, headed by the Geddie family CRS Ferrari and the Fisken/Bridgman Porsche, all pitted at the same time. Pit work and driver changes complete, Cameron maintained the lead by 3.8s from the Howard/Adam Aston and the Geddie Ferrari.

But fourth-placed Fisken was in determined mood, dislodging Jim Geddie for third on lap 16 and Howard for second three laps later. By this stage Cameron was 7s to the good, but Gregor whittled away at the gap and brought it down to a second by the start of the final lap. It was not quite enough. “It was very close,” said Gregor. “I certainly wasn’t going to settle for second if I could have taken the win. The team kept telling me I was taking time out of him, but it would have needed a mistake from Duncan really to get past him cleanly. Duncan was driving very well; it was a real good scrap.”

Griffin was delighted by his team-mate’s performance to hold on to the lead: “I didn’t get a great start and was fourth. It took a little time for our car to get to where I wanted it to be grip-wise, but once it did I was able to get past Alex Mortimer and Glynn Geddie and started to catch Richard; he then must have had some sort of problem and I got the lead and was able to get my head down and build a lead. Duncan jumped in and did an incredible job under a lot of pressure. We got the win and we’re over the moon.”

Added Cameron: “Fantastic. First win of the season; let’s hope it’s the first of many.”

Howard brought the Aston home third just 6.7s behind the winner, with the new Invitation class McLaren passing both the Geddie Ferrari and the Guasch/Bell Audi on the final lap to claim fourth at the line. The championship-leading Audi also passed the Ferrari on the final tour to gain a crucial points advantage over the CRS pairing.

Another superb drive by Piers Johnson and Ron Johnson brought the Speedworks Motorsport Corvette pairing seventh, and earned the Sunoco Driver of the Weekend Award for Ron. The Allan Simonsen/Hector Lester Rosso Verde Ferrari never recovered from a poor start and finished eighth, ahead of the Michael Lyons/Charles Bateman Scuderia Vittoria Ferrari and the John Bintcliffe/Jay Palmer United Autosports Audi.

After missing the first race through technical problems, the GT3B MTech Ferrari 430 of John Dhillon and Aaron Scott fought through from the back of the grid to finish 12th overall and claim class honours.

In GT4, the first-race class victors, Dan Denis and David McDonald fought a pitched battle with the Phil Glew/Ollie Jackson Lotus for much of the race. The Lotus gained the upper hand after three laps and maintained its advantage after the pit stops to win by 23s. It was not Denis and McDonald in second spot, however – their afternoon went wrong on the penultimate lap when their Ginetta’s gearbox developed a problem.

That allowed class points leaders Marcus Clutton and Peter Belshaw in their ABG KTM through for second, ahead of Aston Martin men Chris Holmes and Peter Erceg, who claimed a maiden class podium placing for the Secure Racing/Barwell Motorsport squad.

“Phil handed the car over to me in the lead,” said Jackson, “and though it was tough out there with all the cars on track we made it through in the end for a great result for Lotus Sport UK.”

The British GT Championship is sponsored by UK tyre manufacturer Avon Tyres and is further supported by Sunoco Racing Fuels, Anglo American Oil Company and OAMPS.

Avon Tyres British GT Championship
Provisional results, Round 5
Spa-Francorchamps 9/7/2011
22 laps/95.75 miles

GT3 & overall
1  Trackspeed Porsche  David Ashburn/Richard Westbrook  1h 0m 13.778s / 95.38mph
2  MTECH Ferrari  Duncan Cameron/Matt Griffin (IRL) +2.520s
3  CRS Racing Ferrari  Jim Geddie/Glynn Geddie  +5.189s
4  CRS Racing Ferrari  Andrew Tate/Alex Mortimer  +17.102s
5  Beechdean Aston Martin  Andrew Howard/Jonny Adam  +17.876s
6  United Autosports Audi  Mike Guasch (USA)/Matt Bell  +19.687s
7  Trackspeed Porsche  Gregor Fisken/Tim Bridgman  +22.913s
8  Predator CCTV Ferrari  Phil Burton/Adam Wilcox  +38.971s
9  Speedworks Motorsport Corvette  Ron Johnson/Piers Johnson  +39.553s
10  Preci-Spark Mercedes  David Jones/Godfrey Jones  +40.036s etc

Fastest lap Griffin 2m 24.845s / 108.20mph Record

GT4
1  Scuderia Vittoria Ginetta  Dan Denis/David McDonald  +2m 14.732s
2  Century Motorsport Ginetta  Josh Wakefield/Jake Rattenbury  21 laps
3  Lotus Sport UK Lotus  Leyton Clarke/Freddy Nordstrom  21 laps etc

Provisional results, Round 6
24 laps/104.45 miles

GT3 & overall
1  MTECH Ferrari  Duncan Cameron/Matt Griffin (IRL)  1h 0m 25.159s / 103.72mph
2  Trackspeed Porsche  Gregor Fisken/Tim Bridgman  +0.888s
3  Beechdean Aston Martin  Andrew Howard/Jonny Adam  +6.697s
4  McLaren GT McLaren MP4-12C (Inv Class) Chris Goodwin/Andrew Kirkaldy  +24.020s
5  United Autosports Audi  Mike Guasch (USA)/Matt Bell  +26.247s
6  CRS Racing Ferrari  Jim Geddie/Glynn Geddie  +27.726s
7  Speedworks Motorsport Corvette  Ron Johnson/Piers Johnson  +1m 22.574s
8  Rosso Verde Ferrari  Hector Lester/Allan Simonsen (DEN)  +2m 47.512s
9  Scuderia Vittoria Ferrari  Michael Lyons/Charles Bateman  23 laps
10  United Autosports Audi  John Bintcliffe/Jay Palmer  23 laps
11 & GTB winner  MTECH Ferrari  John Dhillon/Aaaron Scott  23 laps etc

Fastest lap Westbrook 2m 24.615s / 108.34mph Record

GT4
1  Lotus Sport UK Lotus  Ollie Jackson/Phil Glew  23 laps
2  ABG Motorsport KTM  Peter Belshaw/Marcus Clutton  23 laps
3  Barwell/Secure Aston Martin  Peter Erceg/Chris Holmes  23 laps

Provisional championship standings
GT3 & Overall
=1 Guasch & Bell 90.5 points; =3 Geddie & Geddie 88.5; =5 Cameron & Griffin 76; =7 Lester & Simonsen 64.5; =9 Fisken & Bridgman 62.5 etc
GT4
=1 Belshaw & Clutton 128; =3 Nordstrom & Clarke 107; 5 Jackson 86.5; =6 Jake Rattenbury & Josh Wakefield 85 etc
GT3B
=1 Dhillon & Scott 93.75; =3 Tom Alexander & Adrian Willmott 27.

TV schedule 16 July, 0700 Channel 4 & 2029 Motors TV + repeats

Next rounds 3/4 September, Rockingham

Pic: Jakob Ebrey

The new McLaren MP4-12C GT3 car enjoyed a superbly competitive international motorsport debut in qualifying for the Avon Tyres British GT Championship today at Spa-Francorchamps, Chris Goodwin claiming pole position for the first of tomorrow’s Belgian races.

But Goodwin’s first-session time of 2m 23.479s was eclipsed in the second session by the Trackspeed Porsche of Richard Westbrook, which posted a phenomenal 2m 22.648s to bag the pole for race two. Westbrook was nearly a full second clear of his closest rival in the session and was the only driver all day to break the 2m 23s barrier.

Andrew Kirkaldy, CRS Racing team principal and Goodwin’s driving partner in the McLaren, was pleased with the McLaren’s performance: “Although we have covered around 4500km in testing this is the first time we have had any opportunity to go up against any other cars, so before today it was something of an unknown quantity. We are very pleased with the way things have gone: the McLaren is reasonably on the pace straight out of the box, it feels great to drive and technically everything has gone as planned.” The McLaren is competing in the Invitation class and will not score championship points.

Goodwin’s first-session time was a clear second better than that of his closest challenger for the pole, Michael Lyons in the Scuderia Vittoria Ferrari 458 Italia. Reigning champion David Ashburn was third fastest in his Trackspeed Porsche, ahead of 2009 champion David Jones in the Preci-Spark Mercedes.

There was a fine effort from Ron Johnson to post the best qualifying performance yet for the Speedworks Motorsport Corvette; Ron will line up ninth on the grid for race one tomorrow, two places behind the United Autosports Audi of current championship leader Mike Guasch.

Westbrook’s session two time was truly a jaw-dropper; the Porsche man posted it in the early stages of the session. Though it probably would have remained unbeaten, none of his rivals got the chance to try to better it in the closing stages after a crash brought out the red flags with five minutes left on the clock. The collision involved cars from other championships – British GT is sharing the Spa grid with European GT4 cars and the Aston Martin GT4 Challenge.

Great Dane Allan Simonsen was second fastest for the Rosso Verde Ferrari team, ahead of the CRS Ferrari of Glynn Geddie, and fourth-placed Matt Griffin, who was the free practice pacesetter earlier today, in the MTech Ferrari.

There was a clean sweep in the GT4 category for Scuderia Vittoria, with Dan Denis claiming the class pole in session one and his team-mate David McDonald repeating the feat in session two. Lotus men Ollie Jackson and Phil Glew will line up behind them for respective races tomorrow.
The British GT Championship is sponsored by UK tyre manufacturer Avon Tyres and is further supported by Sunoco Racing Fuels, Anglo American Oil Company and OAMPS.

Avon Tyres British GT Championship
Provisional results, official qualifying
Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium 8/7/2011

Race 1 times
GT3
1  McLaren GT McLaren MP4-12C (Invitation Class)  Chris Goodwin  2m 23.479s
2  Scuderia Vittoria Ferrari  Michael Lyons  2m 24.481s
3  Trackspeed Porsche  David Ashburn  2m 25.820s
4  Preci-Spark Mercedes  David Jones  2m 26.022s
5  MTECH Ferrari  Duncan Cameron  2m 26.612s
6  Trackspeed Porsche  Gregor Fisken  2m 26.896s
7  United Autosports Audi  Mike Guasch (USA)  2m 27.270s
8  CRS Racing Ferrari  Jim Geddie  2m 28.577s
9  Speedworks Motorsport Corvette  Ron Johnson  2m 28.889s
10  Beechdean Aston Martin  Andrew Howard  2m 29.163s etc

GT3B
1  MTECH Ferrari  John Dhillon  2m 35.276s

GT4
1  Scuderia Vittoria Ginetta  Dan Denis  2m 34.651s
2  Lotus Sport UK Lotus  Ollie Jackson  2m 36.716s
3  Lotus Sport UK Lotus  Freddy Nordstrom  2m 38.297s etc

Race 2 times
GT3
1  Trackspeed Porsche  Richard Westbrook  2m 22.648s
2  Rosso Verde Ferrari  Allan Simonsen (DEN)  2m 23.561s
3  CRS Racing Ferrari  Glynn Geddie  2m 23.571s
4  MTECH Ferrari  Matt Griffin (IRL)  2m 24.003s
5  CRS Racing Ferrari  Alex Mortimer  2m 24.198s
6  Chad Racing Ferrari  Tom Ferrier  2m 24.272s
7  United Autosports Audi  Matt Bell  2m 24.673s
8  McLaren GT McLaren MP4-12C (Invitation Class)  Andrew Kirkaldy  2m 24.898s
9  Beechdean Aston Martin  Jonny Adam  2m 25.006s
10  Scuderia Vittoria Ferrari  Charles Bateman  2m 25.026s etc

GT3B
MTECH Ferrari  Aaaron Scott  no time

GT4
1  Scuderia Vittoria Ginetta  David McDonald  2m 35.114s
2  Lotus Sport UK Lotus  Phil Glew  2m 36.538s
3  Lotus Sport UK Lotus  Leyton Clarke  2m 36.621s etc

Full times: http://ris-timing.be/

Pic: Jakob Ebrey

2009 Renault Clio Cup Champion Phil Glew will drive the Lotus Sport UK Evora for the remainder of the 2011 British GT championship in the GT4 class, as he teams up with former Porsche Carrera Cup GB racer Ollie Jackson.

Talking of the deal Glew commented: “The opportunity came about to drive the Lotus Sport UK Evora last week, and I jumped at the chance. We still want be in the BTCC and are having some delays with one of our main sponsors, so the opportunity to drive this great car fits into our plans nicely whilst we wait for our sponsorship to be finalised. Who knows, in an ideal world, maybe we could be running in both championships in the near future!”

Glew has already tested the Evora at Snetterton last week and was impressed with the Lotus Sport UK outfit. The first competitive outing will be this weekend at Brands Hatch as the championship takes on the Grand Prix circuit.

Weather and traffic – as well as some quite superb racing – produced a scintillating fourth round of the 2011 Avon Tyres British GT Championship at Brands Hatch, with Tim Bridgman withstanding concerted late-race pressure from charging MTech Ferrari man Matt Griffin to take the win in the Trackspeed Porsche that he shared with Gregor Fisken. Glynn and Jim Geddie took third in the CRS Ferrari 458 after an epic struggle with the Rosso Verde Ferrari

Scuderia of Allan Simonsen/Hector Lester, while Michael Lyons/Charlie Bateman took fifth in the Scuderia Vittoria 458.

GT4 was equally dramatic, with David McDonald suffering the agony of a last corner exit in the Scuderia Vittoria G55 while trying to defend from the ABG KTM X-Bow of Marcus Clutton/Peter Belshaw, which had overcome a 45-second pit stop penalty to close right up on the final lap. The Ginetta driver at least had the consolation of being classified third in class, while Leyton Clarke/Freddie Nordstrom took second in the Lotus Evora.

Aaron Scott and John Dhillon took the win in GT3B while Jordan Witt and Anthony Reid claimed GT Cup honours.

Thirty of the 31 cars assembled on the grid for the start of the two-hour race (only the #14 MTECH Ferrari was absent, although it was eventually to join in after 65 minutes) with the schedule having allowed the teams plenty of time to attend to any issues after the morning warm-up. Magic Racing’s Ginetta G50 M had successfully completed its engine change and passed the warm-up test, while Vantage Racing had found an issue with its Aston’s sub-frame after qualifying, resulting in an all-nighter for the team.

The Team RPM Ford GT of Peter Bamford and Thomas Mutsch also had its problems on Saturday – losing most of the first session after an early off from Bamford – but things were looking positive as the race approached. “We’ve made good progress with the settings,” said Mutsch, “and the car felt good in warm-up. I’m looking forward to the race.”

The German driver had earlier given his impression of Brands Hatch: “I think it’s a great circuit. I’ve done about 20 laps in practice and qualifying and am very impressed; particularly the first corner and the back of the GP loop. It’s like a little Nürburgring.”

Two huge downpours soon after lunchtime thoroughly drenched the circuit and by the time the grid formed up the circuit was still damp, but it was clear that slicks were the only real choice at this point for all runners. The dramas started before the race began, with the Vantage Racing Aston Martin finding the gravel at Clearways even as the lights turned green, ending Tom Black’s and Allan Bonner’s day there and then. Duncan Cameron held on to the lead in the pole-sitting MTECH Ferrari 458 around Paddock Hill Bend and up Hailwood Hill, but Gregor Fisken went by in the Trackspeed Porsche at Graham Hill Bend. The positions soon changed back and it was the #21 car that led across the line to start the second lap.

The slippery conditions had already caused problems for the GT3B MTECH Ferrari 430 of John Dhillon, which spun at the bottom of Paddock Hill, and for the Beechdean Aston of Andrew Howard, which did the same at Graham Hill Bend. Both cars continued, although greatly delayed.

Two minutes later the race had lost two more cars, Iain Dockerill dropping the Chad Ferrari Scuderia into the Paddock Hill gravel, never to return, and Mike Guasch making a much more dramatic exit at Druids when he hit the barrier at speed in the United Autosports Audi. The impact was enough to severely damage the car’s front end and for the American driver to be taken to the medical centre for precautionary checks.

The race then settled down for a while, with Cameron leading Fisken and the second Porsche of David Ashburn – this trio quickly breaking away – while Jim Geddie was fourth in the CRS Ferrari, several seconds back. Before long, however, Charles Bateman had established himself as the fastest man on the track in the Scuderia Vittoria 458 and he was soon closing on the lead battle. He caught Ashburn on the 12th lap and was up to second two laps later at Druids. Fisken slipped to fourth in the same exchange. Cameron’s lead had grown to more than six seconds, but Bateman began to eat into this over the following laps.

The GT4 battle was a close one, with Phil Glew taking the lead in the Evora and pulling out a seven-second lead over the KTM X-Bow of Peter Belshaw. In GT3B Adrian Willmott was flying in the 22GT Racing Aston and was well up the field, but a drive-through for not respecting yellows, and a stop/go for taking the drive-through too quickly, dropped him back several places. He retained the class lead, however, and was soon back into the top 10 overall.

At the half-hour point, spots of rain were detected and soon afterwards this became a full downpour. With blue skies following the rain clouds, the majority of the field opted to gamble on staying out on slicks – only the Magic Racing Ginetta took on wets. Cameron’s lead evaporated and Bateman went by on lap 25 at Surtees.

As the rain subsided the safety car came out; not because of the weather, but as a result of the Team RPM Ford GT of Peter Bamford going off at Westfield. A spin for Andrew Howard into the Clearways gravel caused the caution period to be extended by a further five minutes while the Aston was extracted, and the race went green again less than half a minute before the pit window opened.

The stops began on lap 31, when the Chevron and the surviving Audi pitted, and it was not until lap 40 that the overall race picture became clear again. Michael Lyons led by almost 13 seconds in the Ferrari from Tim Bridgman in the Porsche. Matt Griffin was a further 12 seconds back in third in the MTech Ferrari; Godfrey Jones was fourth in the Preci Spark AMG SLS, a further eight seconds behind; while Glynn Geddie led Allan Simonsen for fifth. The #1 Porsche had retired from second soon after Stephen Jelley had taken over the car from David Ashburn, following a fire in the rear left wheel area.

A further brief shower coincided with Lyons joining the race after a long stint from Bateman, and his lead soon disappeared as he seemed to struggle to adapt to the slippery conditions; Bridgman took the Porsche into the lead at Paddock Hill Bend on lap 42.

Griffin began to close on Lyons, but traffic for the MTECH Ferrari enabled Bridgman to extend his lead to 28 seconds by the time the Irish driver eventually got by into second on lap 50.

Further back, Allan Simonsen and Glynn Geddie were engaged in an epic duel. Simonsen was again mighty in the tricky conditions and quickly made ground – at times being four seconds faster than any other cars ahead. He caught and passed Geddie for fifth on lap 48 and fourth from Jones on lap 51. Geddie closed back up on the Dane and over the course of the next 13 laps the two Ferraris were rarely more than a few car-lengths apart. Eventually, on lap 64 and with the track completely dry, the young Scot made full use of the 458’s advantage over the older Ferrari to take fourth at Druids after the Dane left the door open after attempting to pass Lyons a corner earlier. Both cars went by the #5 458 on the same lap.

By this point Griffin was midway through a tremendous charge and the gap to the leader was coming down. The MTECH driver repeatedly set new fastest laps (and a new lap record) in his attempt to close the gap, but Bridgman was also doing what he could to maintain his lead. It was clear that traffic was a major factor in the rate of Griffin’s progress and as the minutes ticked away he and the leader seemed to be encountering more and more. With 10 minutes remaining the gap was just eight seconds and a close finish seemed inevitable; but crucially the Ferrari came upon the Jones SLS – which itself was attempting to lap the #44 X-Bow – with three laps to go and the delay this caused was enough to close the lid on Griffin’s hopes. After 75 laps, the Porsche crossed the line to the cheers of Gregor Fisken and the Trackspeed team to take the win by a little less than six seconds.

“We had a terrible Snetterton and since then everyone at Trackspeed has worked their socks off to put our car back together, and all credit to them,” said Fisken. “Everyone has been behind us. All credit to Tim. My heart was in my mouth watching him. He drove a fantastic stint. It’s been a hell of a race and it’s fantastic to be up here”

“It was a tough race,” admitted Griffin. “Duncan drove a fantastic first stint. I got stuck behind John Bintcliffe while I was lapping him and I think that’s what really cost us the race. But second place is a good result. The team have worked very hard, and they deserve it.”

Glynn Geddie finally got the better of Allan Simonsen and was able to pull several seconds clear by the end to take third for CRS. “Delighted with third,” said Jim Geddie. “I handed the car over in fifth or sixth and enjoyed watching Glynn take it up to third. Really pleased.”

The second CRS Ferrari 458 finished seventh after a stint by Alex Mortimer – taking over from Andrew Tate – that was every bit as good as Griffin’s, but a lot less visible. Bintcliffe and Palmer took eighth in the Audi and Burton/Wilcox ninth in their Ferrari. A Ginetta G55 claimed its first championship points with 10th for Ian Stinton/Michael Simpson.

The Ginetta G50 of Dan Denis and David McDonald appeared to be heading to a certain GT4 victory after a strong run by both drivers. But Marcus Clutton once again managed to get a spurt on in the ABG X-Bow in the closing stages and a 15 second deficit became just two by the start of the final lap. It still seemed unlikely that there would be enough time to attempt a lead change, but McDonald succumbed to the intense pressure and slid off at Clearways within sight of the flag to hand victory to the KTM. “No one was more surprised than me to see we’d won GT4,” said Peter Belshaw. “They should have won it really. It’s a hard game this, and it’s their loss. In some ways I wish they’d won.”

Aaron Scott enjoyed his stint in the #13 MTECH Ferrari 430; chasing down and passing the GT3B-leading 22GT Racing Aston before it hit problems. “The start of the race wasn’t good for me,” admitted John Dhillon. “Someone spun me right round but I got back on and fought my way back up, then Aaron took over and we got a good result.”

The British GT Championship is sponsored by UK tyre manufacturer Avon Tyres and is further supported by Sunoco Racing Fuels, Anglo American Oil Company and OAMPS.

Avon Tyres British GT Championship
Provisional results, Round 4
Brands Hatch GP 19/6/2011
75 laps/182.50 miles

GT3
1  Trackspeed Porsche  Gregor Fisken/Tim Bridgman  2h 01m 14.055s / 90.31mph
2  MTECH Ferrari  Duncan Cameron/Matt Griffin (IRL)  +5.399s
3  CRS Racing Ferrari  Jim Geddie/Glynn Geddie  +55.040s
4  Rosso Verde Ferrari  Hector Lester/Allan Simonsen (DEN)  +1m 04.207s
5  Scuderia Vittoria Ferrari  Michael Lyons/Charles Bateman  +1m 18.485s
6  Preci-Spark Mercedes  David Jones/Godfrey Jones  74 laps
7  CRS Racing Ferrari  Andrew Tate/Alex Mortimer  74 laps
8  United Autosports Audi  John Bintcliffe/Jay Palmer  74 laps
9  Predator CCTV Ferrari  Phil Burton/Adam Wilcox  73 laps
10 Stark Racing Ginetta  Ian Stinton/Michael Simpson  71 laps etc

Fastest lap Griffin 1m 27.515s / 100.09mph Rec

GT Cup
1  Chevron Racing Chevron  Jordan Witt/Anthony Reid  71 laps
2  Magic Racing Ginetta  Bjorn Gustavson (SWE)/Anders Gustavson (SWE)  56 laps

GT3B
1  MTECH Ferrari  John Dhillon/Aaron Scott  71 laps
2  22GT Racing Aston Martin  Tom Alexander/Adrian Willmott  69 laps

GT4
1  ABG Motorsport KTM  Peter Belshaw/Marcus Clutton  71 laps
2  Lotus Sport UK Lotus  Leyton Clarke/Freddy Nordstrom  71 laps
3  Scuderia Vittoria Ginetta  Dan Denis/David McDonald  70 laps
4  Century Motorsport Ginetta  Josh Wakefield/Jake Rattenbury  70 laps
5  Barwell Aston Martin  Peter Erceg/Chris Holmes  69 laps
6  Lotus Sport UK Lotus  Ollie Jackson/Phil Glew  63 laps

Full TSL timesheets http://bit.ly/m2SV8Q

Provisional championship standings
GT3 & overall
1= Mike Guasch/Matt Bell 70.5 points; =3 Geddie/Geddie 63.5; =5 Lester/Simonsen 58.5; =7 Jones/Jones 58; =9 Lyons/Bateman 48 etc
GT3B
1= Dhillon & Scott 81.25; =3 Alexander/Willmott 27.
GT4
1= Belshaw/Clutton 100; =3 Nordstrom/Clarke 82; =5 Rattenbury/Wakefield 55 etc
GT Cup
1= Witt & Reid 62.5; =3 Gustavson/Gustavson 13.5.

TV schedule 2 July, 0700 Channel 4 & 1335 Motors TV + repeats

Next rounds 8/9 July Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium