RACING EXPOSURE :: Club level motorsport e-magazine

Aaron Steele has been the dominant force in MSV F3 Cup

The legendary Brands Hatch Grand Prix circuit will echo to the sound of V8 engines once again when the GT Trophy Endurance Series headlines the MSVR GP Weekend on 20/21 August.

Spectacular Ferraris, Lamborghinis, Porsches and BMWs will populate the grid for a fascinating and gruelling three hour endurance race around the Brands Hatch Grand Prix, which will test drivers’ skill to the limit.

The sleek Ferrari 458 of Rob Barff and Leon Price has been the star of the field so far this season with victories at Snetterton and Oulton Park, but there will be a whole host of drivers eager to add their names to the winners’ list for 2011. Joining the Ferrari 458 on the grid will be two Lamborghinis, one of which driven by former SEAT British Touring Car star James Pickford. There will also be a rare appearance from a race going Ferrari F40, courtesy of Simpson Motorsport. With three hours of racing around the famous Grand Prix circuit, an unpredictable on track battle is on the cards.

Rob Barff's Ferrari 458

While the GT Trophy cars will provide the main attraction, the single-seaters of the MSVR run F3 Cup, Monoposto Championship and the Champion of Brands will provide wheel-to-wheel action around the 2.3 mile Grand Prix circuit. The F3 Cup is set to produce is biggest grid of the season so far, and local man Aaron Steele will be aiming to continue his impressive form in the series. The Monoposto Championship will see a mix of single seaters of all shapes and sizes including Formula Renaults and other variants battling around the track.

Edge of the seat racing will be produced by the Formula Fords of the Champion of Brands with 22 drivers ready to battle it out in the final round of 2011. The series has witnessed some epic battles around Brands Hatch this year, producing three different winners in the shape of Josh Barnett, Jordan Skinner and most recently Craig Currie.

Golf GTI's provide close racing

Huge grids will be expected in the MK2 Golf GTI Championship as the title battle heats up with only three rounds of the season remaining. Class 1 runner Guy Stevens holds a narrow one point lead over James Bark ahead of yet another intriguing battle at the Kent venue. Volkswagen will also be represented in the VAG Trophy, which caters for pre 2006 machinery from Audi, Volkswagen, SEAT and Skoda. The SEAT Leon of Daniel Rose leads the championship.

Iconic touring cars from the past will also tackle the GP circuit when the Heritage Grand Touring Car Challenge embarks on its penultimate round of 2011. The Lotus Sunbeam of Joss Ronchetti and Julian Westwood and the Chevrolet of Boysie Thurtle shared the victories last time out on the Brands Hatch Indy circuit.

Also providing thrilling tin top race action will be the Dunlop Motorsport News Saloon Car Championship and the BRSCC Alfa Romeo Championship. Darren Blys’ Nissan Skyline leads the Motorsport News Saloon Car Championship but Brands Hatch specialist and West Kingsdown resident Rod Birley will be looking to claw his way back into the title race in his World Rally Championship spec Ford Escort.

The battle for the BRSCC Alfa Romeo Championship is even closer with just 10 points separating the top four drivers. Emma Karwacki currently leads the standings just a point ahead of Neil Smith in his 156 touring car.

Tickets for the MSVR GP Weekend at the Brands Hatch Grand Prix circuit on 20/21 August are available priced at £13 for adults with free admission for children aged 12 and under. For more information call 0843 453 9000.

Not many got a glimpse of the lead Ferrari apart from when it lapped them

Rob Barff and Leon Price proved to be the men to beat, and the Ferrari 458 to be the car to beat around the Oulton Park circuit in the GT Trophy double header at the picturesque Cheshire circuit.

The 2 hour race was split into two 1 hour sessions – first seen at Snetteron back in May. It features an hour break in the middle where the teams could work on their cars, but are not permitted to change tyres. This can give teams a chance to fix damage or problems sustained in the first part which would otherwise force them to retire in an otherwise normal straight 2 hour endurance race.

Before the race even got underway, there were 2 casulties from the earlier qualifying session, depleting the small grid even further. The Marcos which qualified in 3rd place despite Chris Beighton putting into the wall at Cascades was a non-starter due to the car being unrepairable in time. While the car that red flagged the qualifying session, the #9 Ferrari failed to make the start.

The final resting place of the Marcos in Qualifying

The first race saw Rob Barff leap away at the start following his lonely front row start, followed by the #49 car of Alex Martin, who was clear of the 3rd place car, the #8 Ferrari of Ian Hartley within a few laps.

The front 3 could be running light as there is an option to refuel in the stops, but seeing as Barff took pole by over 4 seconds, this seemed unlikely, and as it turned out – no team fuelled their cars in either part of the race.

A little further back, the action was spicing up between the Ginetta of Mowle/Murrells who had leapfrogged the Porsche of Brosters/Rothwell at the start, only to lose the position on lap 2. With George Murrells at the wheel of the Ginetta spending the next 20 or so minutes behind the very experienced Colin Broster at the hands of the Porsche. It seemed the cars were equally matched out on track, and it looked like Murrells was waiting for the pit stops for a chance to get ahead of the Porsche.

The Ginetta was in the midst of battles, usually with a Porsche

Meanwhile, David Back in the #9 Ferrari, minus the rear end of the car, joined in 9th and last after missing the start of the race thanks to the efforts of the MTECH team, albeit 5 laps down on the leader, which stayed the same through to the end of the first part.

The Ginetta was the first to stop out of the battle for 4th with the Porsche following not long afterwards. Status quo was resumed though as the Ginetta was once again behind the Porsche. Other pit stops included Gary Eastwood replacing Hartley in the #8 Ferrari closely behind with race leaders Barff/Price one of the last to pit.

The second drivers of Lee Mowle (Ginetta) and Dave Rothwell (Porsche) resuming the battle untill the Porsche was given a drive through penalty for a too shorter pitstop. More problems hit the Porsche late on, as the front splitter worked its way loose which forced him into the pits, all this allowing the Ginetta back through to take a comfortable 3rd place.

The Porsche dropped back in the last couple of laps due to the splitter coming loose again, leaving the Lamborghini of James/Aktinson to take 4th place in the last moments of the first half.

The #8 Ferrari of Eastwood/Hartley took 2nd place, over a lap down on run away half way leaders Price/Barff (despite a stall in the pit lane after the driver change and a grassy moment for Leon Price late on in the race) in the Ferrari 458 but well clear of the rest of the field.

Rupert Martin, who had been running strongly in the #49 Ferrari after taking over from Alex Martin failed to finish due to an accident. They did not make it out in part 2.

Rob Barff extremely pleased with his team mates performance in the first half, with Price himself mentioning that during the first half he was able to put in a consistent performance to maintain the leading margin.

The race claimed another victim on the first lap of Part 2 with the #27 Lamborghini trying a move on the outside of Old Hall, getting on the grass and ending up parking backwards into the tyre wall on the inside of the circuit. The Safety Car was called for the first time which prompted the #15 Porsche of Colin Broster and Dave Rothwell to make an early pit stop under the Safety Car to gain an advantage while the rest of the field were at a slower pace. Unfortunatly, this plan backfired as the car was handed with a drive through penalty later on the race for a pit stop window infringement. Broster duly taking this drive through with about 10 minutes of the race to go.

Leon Price, chased by the #9 Ferrari, couldn’t match his driving in the first race, but was still holding onto the lead and pulling away from the rest of the field.

The Ginetta, this time with Lee Mowle at the wheel, was once again embroiled in a battle on track, chasing the battling pair of the #35 Porsche and #8 Ferrari. The pit stops would play a part, but once again the battle was decided out on track.

The Ginetta pitted first, with George Murrels taking over the reigns, giving him a clear track to get his head down and try and beat the other 2 cars out the pits.

The #8 Ferrari, with Eastwood taking over driving duties, came out ahead of the Ginetta, but car problems, presumably a missing gear or 2, caused him to slow, allowing the Ginetta through around the Shell Oils loop, out of site. Eastwood, though, continued and drove around the problems to get to the finish and gain experience and who knows what could happen in a long race. To finish first, first you have to finish.

The #35 Porsche was the last to pit, with Chris Bentley (the perhaps more cautious of the driver pairing) heading out on track, with seconds to spare over the closing Ginetta.

With Bentley getting upto speed, Murrells made light work of the Porsche, taking 2nd place overall. Attention then turned to the #8 Ferrari of Eastwood who was, despite his problems, closing in on the Porsche.

Eastwood caught the Porsche quite quickly, and wasted very little time. Despite Bentley’s best efforts to keep the Ferrari behind, Eastwood pulled off a great move around the outside of Old Hall to take the remaining spot on the podium overall.

However, the day seemingly belonged to Rob Barff (who set the fastest lap of the race with 7 minutes to go just to rub salt into the wounds of all the other competitors), his co-driver Leon Price and the FF Corse team that runs the Ferrari 458. They ran at an astonishing pace all day, with the same set of tyres for qualifying and both races. Price was delighted with the team effort and thanked them for all their hard work.

The next round of the GT Trophy is at Brands Hatch on the 16th/17th July on the Indy circuit which always produces close and competitive racing.

Report: Nick Deeley
Photography: Surreal Illusions

Spectacular GT cars will roar around Oulton Park this Saturday 2 July when the GT Trophy Endurance Series headlines MSVR’s Blast in the Park event.

A host of highly powerful Porsches, Ferraris and BMWs will be on show as they battle around the Cheshire circuit in a two part endurance race.

The GT Trophy Endurance Series will be joined by the Production BMW Championships, Project Eight Racing Saloons, MK2 Golf GTI Championship and single seaters from the Monoposto Championship.

The GT Trophy Endurance Series features two 1 hour races which are combined to contrive an overall result. Teams are required to make a 90 second pit stop in each race. The last round of the GT Trophy Endurance Series saw the Ferrari 458 GT3 of Leon Price and Rob Barff win the two hour race, adding to their triumph in the opening round of the season at Donington Park. There will be several drivers hoping to add their names to the winners list on Saturday.

Single seaters will be represented in the Monoposto Championship with a mixture of Formula Renaults, Dallaras and Van Diemens set for some thrilling on track action. The series is split into Mono 2000, 1800, 1600, 1400 and 1000 classes, depending on engine size.

Close tin top racing will be provided by the MK2 Golf GTI Championship, Production BMW Championship and the Project Eight Racing Saloon.

James Bark will hope to continue his impressive form after a double win at Cadwell Park, as he bids to reel in MK2 Golf GTI Championship leader Guy Stevens. Only three points separate the pair heading into the next instalment on Saturday.

Bumper grids will be expected in the Production BMW Championship and Project Eight Racing Saloons for their only visit to Oulton Park this season. Ben Winrow dominated the last round in tricky wet conditions at Brands Hatch, but Tim Wilson remains the series leader, as the championship heads towards the business end of the season.

Meanwhile a selection of BMW, Ford, Volvo and Renault saloons will populate the grid for round six of the season. Adam Sharpe is the man to beat after winning eight of the nine races so far, but he will face a stern challenge to continue his charge.

Experienced GT Team In2Racing are to campaign a Porsche 997 in the 2011 GT Trophy Endurance Series, it’s confirmed today.

GT Cup race winner Michael Donovan and team boss Nick Dudfield will be sharing driving duties at the inaugural 2-hour GT Trophy race at Donington Park on the 3rd April.

A proven race winning combination, Michael Donovan and the In2Racing Porsche 997 have resulted in some impressive performances in the GT Cup Championship in recent years and the team hope to repeat that success in the GT Trophy this season.

‘As regular front runners in the GT Cup over the past 3 seasons it’s going to be an interesting challenge for both Mike and the In2racing team.’ Commented Team Principal Nick Dudfield.

He added ‘We hope to continue to support the series with both existing and new entries to the Trophy and Cup series throughout 2011. We have run Porsche, Lamborghini and Ginetta cars in recent seasons and have capacity to provide race-winning support to interested parties in 2011.’

Michael Donovan has a busy season ahead of him, between competing in the GT Trophy with the Porsche 997 and racing his newly acquired Group C Spice, he will also be supporting his eldest son Adam as he embarks on a racing career across the pond in the USA FF2000 series.

The In2Racing Porsche 997 will be joining a host of exotic GT machinery on the grid this season, including the latest GT3 supercar from Ferrari the 458 Italia.

Bute Motorsport Managing Director Marc Haynes said ‘Mike is a formidable driver and In2racing an impressive team so it’s great to see them return.’

With the dawn of the new season just a few weeks away, Bute Motorsport are delighted to write, outlining some of the highlights of our rapidly expanding entry list, which promises yet another season of diverse and exhilarating racing for both the GT Cup Championship and the all new GT Trophy Endurance Series.

The most recent addition to the varied entry is the latest GT3 Supercar from Ferrari the 458 Italia. Team FF Corse will run the Mac Steel backed car, which will be driven by GT Cup regular Leon Price and professional GT driver Rob Barff. FF Corse and Bute Motorsport are delighted that the GT Trophy race at Donington on 2/3 April will probably be the first UK race outing for this eagerly anticipated new car from the Ferrari stable. Gary Eastwood will run his LKM Ferrari 430 GTC as well as Father and son team and 2010 Snetterton GT Trophy race winners Rupert and Alex Martin in their Dextra backed 430 GTC.  They will all run under the FF Corse team banner.

Atkins Motorsport are amongst the growing list of full season confirmations for the new GT Trophy. Fielding their newly acquired Ginetta G50, experienced racers Lee Atkins and Sam Allpass will share the driving duties for the five endurance rounds this season. 32 year old Lee Atkins, returns to the Bute Motorsport camp following an impressive 2008 GT Cup campaign, where he achieved 9 poles, 9 fastest laps and 9 wins in class from 10 starts in a BMW Z4, so the Ginetta should be one to watch this season.

Keeping it in the family is experienced endurance driver Dave Cox; he will be joining his sons Michael and Jason Cox behind the wheel of their newly acquired MMC BMW M3.

New to GT Trophy Andy Yule is busy preparing for the opening round at Donington and newcomers Team Tiger will field a distinctive mighty 7 litre Marcos Mantis for experienced racer Chris Beighton and team mate Jon Finnemore this season.

Scotsman Barclay Dougal will run in the GT Trophy following a year’s break from racing with Bute Motorsport in his BMW.  Professional Porsche racer Mark Sumpter will be back following victories in the Paragon Porsche 911 GT3 RSR in the inaugural GT Trophy races at Brands Hatch GP and Snetterton last year and Will Goff will be returning with Oliver Bryant in their Porsche 997.   Our 2010 GT Cup Champion Marco Pullen will also be racing in the 2011 GT Trophy.

BTCC Superstar Tom Onslow-Cole will be racing this season as team mate to one lucky person, this is all thanks to Gridstars.co.uk founder and fellow GT Trophy competitor Will Schryver who is offering an exciting opportunity to win the chance to race with Tom in the GT Trophy Endurance Series.  The latest to join for a full season is Kevin Riley in a KRM Composites backed Mosler.

The GT Trophy Endurance Series gets the Bute Motorsport season underway at Donington Park on the 2^nd/ 3^rd April, with an exhilarating 2-hour race which will be a test of team work, skill and endurance. Entries continue to roll in ahead of the first round, where we look forward to seeing many of our supporters and to getting the racing season off to a flying start.  The series then goes on to visit the newly configured Snetterton 300, Oulton Park International, Brands Hatch GP and ends the season with a dramatic day and night race at Donington Park in October. As the sister series to the highly successful GT Cup Championship, the GT Trophy Endurance Series welcomes drivers of all levels and a wider variety of GT cars than the sister series, the cars will race within groups split on a power to weight basis.

Reserved exclusively for Sportsmen and women racing drivers The GT Cup Championship is renowned for its large and diverse grids and 2011 is set to be every bit as impressive, with a healthy grid already confirmed for the whole season including the opening round at Silverstone on the magnificent Arena GP circuit as used by modern F1.  New for 2011 is the introduction of mandatory in-car cameras to police driving standards.

We are delighted to have confirmed entries from many returning friends and are also pleased to welcome new teams and drivers to the GT Cup family this season.

Front running Cheshire based team JMH will be back on the grid in 2011 fielding a pair of Porsche 997’s and a Ferrari 430 GTC.  Returning 2009 GT Cup competitor Arwyn Williams and GT Cup race winner Andy Ruhan.  Andy took wins at Snetterton and Spa-Francorchamps in 2010 and is sure to be one to watch in 2011.

Premier Ferrari specialists FF Corse are returning with a flock of Ferrari 430’s for GT Cup regulars Gary Eastwood, Leon Price and Rupert Martin, with more drivers set to be announced in the coming weeks.  Gary Eastwood is returning with the GT Cup Championship title very much in his sights. It will be his second year as a Ferrari driver and after getting to grips with his new machine and gaining his maiden overall GT Cup victory at Oulton Park last season, he is up for the challenge in 2011.

The iconic Morgan Aero 8 will make a welcome return to UK racing in the GT Cup Championship this season in the hands of 2010 Group 3 winner Tom Andrew.  Andrew Racing are revving up for a serious championship challenge this year and also have plans to bring the distinctive Morgan out for some longer GT Trophy races later in the season.

Also expected to be fighting for the title is hard charger Danny Winstanley, following a blinding first season in his equally blinding luminous green TVR Tuscan GT, he will be back in a new TVR Segaris Straight 6 for a full on championship attack.

Returning for another bite of the cherry is former Porsche Cup Champion Colin Broster with his Porsche 996. He will join GT Cup regular Benjamin Harvey in his KTM X-BOW under the ABG Motorsport awning this year.

David Tomlin returns to GT Cup after a year away and is making the step up to group one after upgrading from his Ferrari 355 to a Ferrari 430 GTC. Also back after a break is Barclay Dougal, he is launching a joint GT Cup and GT Trophy campaign in his Ocius Motorsport BMW E46 GTR.

GT Cup stalwart Colin Simpson will be competing once again in his distinctive Marcos Mantis. Full season campaigns are confirmed for TVR driver Michael Saunders and BMW M3 racer Michael Symonds.

Newcomers Adam Hayes and Mark Radcliff join the GT Cup for the first time from the CSL Cup with their BMW E46 M3’s and new team Sibsport performance will run Simon Blanckley in a Porsche 997 this season.

On the opposite ends of the spectrum Doug Setters returns in his newly rebuilt and nimble Lotus Exige whilst 2010 race winner Don Grice is entered for a full season in his fearsome BMW GTR.

Chris Bentley in his Porsche 996 supported by CTR Alfatune is also entered for a full season campaign to follow up on his 2010 success with CTR Alfatune also supporting GT Cup newcomer John Clonis also in a Porsche 996.

The international flavour is further promoted by Paul Cope who returns with his Gallic inspired Venturi whilst we also welcome Irishman Philip Jones in a Porsche 996.

One to watch in Group 1 is relative new comer Stephen Richie who returns following a brief but encouraging limited run in 2010 in his Parr supported Porsche 997.

This will be the second season as an MSA Championship for The GT Cup, a move that resulted in a thrilling battle for the championship title in 2010.  After seeing an incredible total of eleven different group winners in sixteen races and going into the final round with no less than seven potential winners, the first GT Cup Championship title was ultimately won, at the end of the final race, by Group 2 Ferrari 360 GTC racer Marco Pullen.

Such was the popularity of the 2010 GT Cup Championship structure, it has remained unaltered for 2011 ahead of a major shake up in the Group structure for 2012 and the introduction of cars which run GT3 homologated pace. For the third year running Pirelli will continue to be the control tyre manufacture with a new tyre technician Natham Coleman at every round and Wheeltech supplying and fitting tyres.

Every round of the GT Cup Championship will be televised on specialist motor sport channel Motors TV. A dedicated 30-minute programme featuring highlights from the track and paddock will be aired shortly after each event.

With many more teams and drivers finalising their plans as I write, we are anticipating more confirmations in the coming weeks.  Needless to say Bute Motorsport are absolutely thrilled with the quality of the entries once again this season so far and are looking forward to another fantastic season… see you there!

It has just been confirmed that the latest GT3 supercar from Ferrari, the 458 Italia will be joining the GT Trophy Endurance Series grid this season.

Ferrari specialist team FF Corse will run the Mac Steel backed car, which will be driven by GT Cup regular Leon Price and professional GT driver Rob Barff.

‘To be racing with Leon and FF Corse in the GT Trophy this season is great. I’m really looking forward to the arrival of the 458,we have an exciting year ahead of us.’ Commented pro driver Rob Barff.

Leon Price has raced in the GT Trophy’s sister championship The GT Cup Championship since 2009 and took his first race win at Snetterton that season. Rob Barff has extensive experience in both Le Mans Prototypes and all forms of GT racing. Both drivers competed separately in the inaugural GT Trophy night race at Snetterton in 2010 and the duo are looking forward to a competitive campaign in 2011.

‘We have been in extensive contact with Michelotto and the factory, the car looks fantastic and will be an amazing package – ideally suited to the endurance style races of the GT Trophy.’ Said team Boss Anthony Cheshire ‘With so few Ferrari 458 GT3 being produced this year it is a real privilege and a bit of a coup for us to receive one of the first cars and we must now repay the faith shown in us by Ferrari.’

He added ‘FF Corse have been a supporter of the GT Cup and Ferrari since our inception and were pleased to win the GT Cup “Team of the year” award in our debut season. We are fully behind Marc’s new GT Trophy initiative and hope it will be a great success like GT Cup.’

The team is currently awaiting delivery of the car and until then it remains to be seen exactly what the performance of the latestthoroughbred from the prancing horse stable will be. As the first car to be built and engineered by Michelotto, expectations are high.

Bute Motorsport Managing Director Marc Haynes commented ‘ We are hopeful to be the first UK race meeting to put this wonderful new car on the grid.  The Ferrari 458 joins a host of exotic GT machinery on the grid for the 2011 season of the GT Trophy Endurance Series and we eagerly await the first event at Donington Park on the 2^nd/ 3^rd April.’

The latest team to confirm its campaign for the 2011 GT Trophy Endurance Series is Hampshire based Atkins Motorsport, who will field a Ginetta G50 in the new endurance series this season.

Experienced racers Lee Atkins and Sam Allpass will share the driving duties for the five endurance rounds this season. 32 year old Lee Atkins, returns to the Bute Motorsport camp following an impressive 2008 GT Cup campaign, where he achieved 9 poles, 9 fastest laps and 9 wins in class from 10 starts in a BMW Z4.

The team has acquired the ex-Fiona James Ginetta G50 from In2 Racing for the 2011 GT Trophy; a car that Lee raced against and beat in the 2008 GT Cup season.

Team boss Keith Atkins said, ‘we are competing in GT Trophy because it offers the chance to share a car and because we so enjoyed our time in GT Cup. It was professionally organised and both the people behind it, and competitors are friendly and welcoming.’

The Atkins Motorsport Ginetta G50 will join the grid for the first GT Trophy Endurance Series round at Donington Park on the 2nd/ 3rd April. The series then visits the newly configured Snetterton 300, Oulton Park, Brands Hatch GP circuit and culminates the season with a return to Donington Park for a spectacular day and night race.

Bute Motorsport Managing Director Marc Haynes commented ‘‘I am delighted to welcome the Atkins Motorsport team. Lee and his father Keith are fantastic competitors and it will be wonderful to see them back with us. Lee is an extremely impressive driver and I look forward to seeing what he and Sam can do in a Ginetta G50.’

The latest team to announce their entry for the 2011 GT Trophy Endurance Series is Kent based team Race Car Spares/ MMC Motorsport.

Leading the driver lineup is experienced endurance racer Dave Cox, who will be joining his sons Michael and Jason Cox behind the wheel of their newly acquired BMW M3 at selected rounds this season.

Dave Cox commented: ‘I am excited about the prospect of racing in the GT Trophy with my sons, Michael and Jason. To have the opportunity of racing on great race tracks like the Brands Hatch Grand Prix circuit, Oulton Park and the new Snetterton 300 circuit is a great attraction for all of us.’

The newly liveried Race Car Spares/ MMC Motorsport BMW M3 is due to be unveiled next week when the team start their pre season testing programme at Snetterton.

Bute Motorsport Managing Director Marc Haynes said: ‘The GT Trophy Endurance Series gets underway with a 2hr race at Donington park on the 2nd/ 3rd April, this will be the series first visit to Donington since it reopened and we are sure it will provide an exciting race to start the 2011 GT Trophy season.

Pic: Matt Sayle

The iconic Morgan Aero 8 will make a welcome return to UK racing at the hands of young gun Tom Andrew in the GT Cup Championship this season.

Fresh from winning Group 3 of the 2010 GT Cup Championship in a KTM, team Andrew Racing are set to contest the overall championship in a move up to group one with the Morgan in 2011.

Tom Andrew is looking forward to the season ahead: ‘This is a really exciting season for me, the Morgan is a very unique car and is one of only 3 of this type ever made, so its great to see it racing again. The goal is definitely to go for the overall GT Cup Championship title this year and we plan to do some GT Trophy Endurance series rounds with the Morgan as well.’

The uniquely British Morgan Aero 8 will be the only one of its type racing in the UK in 2011, although this particular car is no stranger to the GT Cup grid, having competed in 2009 driven by Howard Spooner and Mark Bailey Racing.

The Morgan joins a host of exotic GT machinery on the GT Cup grid this season, including models from Ferrari, Porsche, Lotus, BMW and TVR.

Managing director Marc Haynes commented: ‘It is great to have such variety on the grid again this year, it’s sure to make a great spectacle and offer some fantastic racing’

The GT Cup Championship season gets underway at Silverstone on the Arena Circuit on the 16th and 17th April.