Tag: British GT

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Frederick On Top in British F3

image courtesy of British F3

Kaylen Frederick wins both Sunday races in dominant fashion.

Race One:

The third of the weekend’s British F3 races was won in emphatic fashion as Kaylen drove an excellent race to finish 8.6 seconds ahead of second place Nazim Azman and third Ulysse De Pauw. De Pauw was later disqualified from the race.

Louis Foster started on pole position but a cautious start following yesterday’s jump saw Frederick lead into turn one and did not look back.

Behind him there were several scraps with one between Varrone and Peixoto ending up with Varrone being forced into the gravel. He retired there and then.

Race 2:

This time it was Kaylan Frederick who started on pole and after a good get away lead from lights to flag, just a few seconds in front of Miami and Prior.

There was little to shout about in this race, with the two retirements of Horston and Varrone. Horston will be disappointed in his mechanical failure as he was running in the final podium place.

After that there was little action as Frederick continued his impressive driving to take his second win of the day. Already emerging as a title challenger.

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Big Crash in GT’s as Race 2 Ends Under Safety Car

image courtesy of THEWFGAMER Instagram page.

The British GT season kicked off with a bang at Oulton Park this weekend.

Race 1:

Race one saw Lewis Proctor start from pole position and lead into the first turn for the GT3’s. Connor O’Brien looked to do a similar thing in the GT4 category.

There was close action before the pit stops as the World’s Fastest Gamer, James Baldwin, looked to pile the pressure on Angus Fender in third.

Following the stops, Mitchell had found his way into third with Oliver Wilkinson taking over from Lewis Proctor. Michael O’Brien replaced James Baldwin. In the GT4’s, Kibble, Connor O’Brien’s teammate, also lead.

However, after a charge from Michael O’Brien and a penalty for speeding in the pit lane for the leader, O’Brien and Baldwin took the lead, with the number 2 car seeing it out to the flag.

The Jensen team won the first race with James Baldwin winning his first ever British GT event. Behind Jensen, Wilkinson finished second and Macdonald rounded out the GT3 podium. It was a simple affair for Kibble in the GT4 as he took the chequered flag with Collard and Caroline behind.

Race 2:

Phil Keen was raring to go from pole in Race 2 and lead into the first corner. Contact on the opening lap for Race 1 winner Michael O’Brien saw him drop to the back of the field.

Neary and Griffin both suffered problems and the two retired a few laps into the race.

Little was happening  for much of the remainder of the race but an unfortunate incident between Jones and Connor O’Brien saw the race finish under a lengthy safety car. It appeared as if Jones was trying to lap O’Brien but contact was made and the two spun off the track, hitting Fender in the process.

So Balon took the flag in the GT3 category with Collard and De Haan just behind. Flewitt won in his category, followed by Vaughan and Maththiesen.

Not the best way for Keen (Balon’s teammate) to draw level with Jonny Adam on wins, but I‘m sure he won’t mind too much.

Overall a cracking way for the GT season to kick off.

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Jump Starts Galore in the Opening Two Rounds of British F3

Images courtesy of BRDC British Formula 3 Championship.

By John Whittaker

Today the British F3 season kicked off in a strange fashion after the first race was decided by penalties. Saturday saw the opening two rounds of the series, with two more scheduled for tomorrow.

Race One:

Kaylen Frederick looked set to take an emphatic win in the first British F3 race at Oulton Park this weekend before a post-race penalty saw him demoted.

Louis Foster looked in a good position starting from pole after qualifying but a jump start and a subsequent ten second time penalty saw him cross the line second, before the penalty dropping him down to 14th.

Part way through the race Josh Mason found the barrier causing a rather lengthy safety car whilst they recovered the car and set about repairs. Whilst the ambulance was called out, Josh Mason walked away unhurt.

The safety car came in and Frederick completed his dominant display leading to the flag, setting multiple fastest laps in the process. An impressive drive from the young American. Or it would have been had he not also received a ten second time penalty (along with Manaf Hijawi) for a false start.

The post-race penalties saw Kiern Jewiss win the first British F3 of the year, with Ulysse De Pauw and Nazim Azman also on the podium.

Race 2:

In the second and final race of the day Piers Prior took a well managed victory leading from lights to flag.

It appears all the action was used up in the first race as the second was a rather dull affair with minimal overtaking around the technical track.

The main talking points from this race were the two retirements: first race pole man Foster and Manaf Hijawi, both mechanical DNFs on Lap 1 and Lap 7 respectively.

Other than that, the race left a lot to be desired with Prior taking his maiden British F3 victory, followed by Kush Maini, and Bart Horsten rounding out the podium.

Overall a decent first day of racing for the BRDC British F3 drivers.

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British GT 2019: The wait is over….

After seven months of hibernation and relative silence, the British GT series returns for 2019 at Oulton Park for the traditional Easter Weekend curtain-raiser.

35 cars including 13 GT3s, 21 GT4s and one GTC will compete in two hour-long races on Easter Monday, with Easter Sunday seeing no track action.

There’s plenty of new additions to the British GT series with Aston Martin, Bentley, Lamborghini and McLaren all bringing new GT3 challengers to this year’s party, while BMW and Mercedes are also in the category.

Aston Martin have replaced their V12 Vantage, the most successful car in British GT history, with a new V8 model. Record-breaking history-making Scotsman Jonny Adam remains part of their armoury having left Optimum Motorsport for TF Sport paired with Graham Davidson, one of the most entertaining drivers on the grid. They’re joined by Mark Farmer and Nicki Thiim, a pairing looking to right a few wrongs after hitting bad luck last season.

Optimum, last season’s champions, have also taken the new V8 Vantage and will have Oliver Wilkinson and 2007 champion Bradley Ellis to maintain their challenge. Beechdean AMR have retained two-time champion Andrew Howard, while Marco Sorensen has resurfaced alongside Howard after spending last season at TF Sport.

Barwell Motorsport are back into British GT battle with Lamborghini’s new Huracan GT3 Evo. Last year’s rookie Sam De Haan partners Jonny Cocker, while arrival of Adam Balon marks the only driver change from 2018 at the expense of Jon Minshaw. Phil Keen returns this season hoping to be the bride, and not the bridesmaid, in 2019.

For Bentley, it’s a new car with some old friends for 2019. The new Continental GT3 2017 champions Rick Parfitt Jnr, whose break from racing was shortlived, and Seb Morris returning to the series with newcomers JRM, while Team Parker Racing will field Ryan Ratcliffe and Glynn Geddie for 2019.

2019 marks a step up in class for 2018 GT4 champions, Century Motorsport. Jack Mitchell and Ben Green were the top dogs last year and will race alongside Adrian Willmott and Dominic Paul respectively, on a weekend where the British GT paddock will undoubtedly find out more about BMW’s M6.

McLaren’s new 720S will prove a welcome boost to Shaun Balfe and Rob Bell at Balfe Motorsport while Richard Neary and Adam Christodoulou in the Mercedes are back for a full year at ABBA Racing alongside Iain Loggie and Callum Macleod at RAM Racing.

 And onto GT4…

With Ben Tuck and Jack Mitchell moving to GT3, it is all change at Century Motorsport and BMW. Three British GT debutants Mark Kimber, Angus Fender and Andrew Gordon-Colebrooke make their bow this weekend while Jacob Mathiassen returns.

Stability is the key with Mercedes-AMGs GT4 entrants. Team Parker’s Nick Jones and Scott Malvern took 2018’s Pro/Am title, Mark Murfitt and Michael Broadhurst begin their second season with Fox Motorsport.

Aston Martin are well backed in GT4 for 2019, Beechdean AMR’s Kelvin Fletcher and Martin Plowman came close to Pro/Am glory last year, Mike Robinson and Patrik Matthiesen are paired in one of Optimum’s two entries. TF Sport and Academy Motorsport also represent the marque.

McLaren’s 570S returns with Tolman Motorsport and another two-pronged assault working with McLaren Driver Development Programme members. HHC have switched from Ginettas and have Callum Pointon and Dean Macdonald amongst its ranks this term, while Balfe Motorsport are back in 2019,

Ford brings its iconic Mustang to the British GT Championship in 2019 with Multimatic Motorsports entering two, while RACE enter a third raced by ex-BTCC racers Sam Smelt and Aron Taylor-Smith. They could well be an entry to watch.

The Jaguar F-Type is also back in the familiar hands of Steve McCulley and Matthew George, Invictus Games Racing having halved their entry list for 2019 while KTM return for the first time since 2011.

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British GT – Format Confirmed, Entries Open

Photo Courtesy Of British GT (c)

2018 entry process opens early after British GT organisers confirm class format.

> 14 of 34 spaces reserved for GT3 cars

> Championship retains multi-class GT3/GT4 format

Entries are now being officially accepted for next season’s British GT Championship after series organiser, SRO Motorsports Group, confirmed its successful multi-class GT3/GT4 format would remain unchanged for 2018.

SRO considered splitting its grids into separate races, but that idea has now been dropped after consulting with teams, drivers and stakeholders. The idea of staging a standalone GT4 round at Thruxton has also been shelved for next season.

14 of the 34 full-season spaces have been initially reserved for GT3 cars, although SRO is happy to revise this number up or down depending on demand. Several of the class’ current teams have already committed, with driver announcements expected in due course.

GT4’s rise also looks likely to continue with new teams and manufacturers in the pipeline. Entries will be accepted on a first-come-first-served basis, as well as historical support and marque variety.

Indeed, the level of interest is such that SRO has moved the opening of its 2018 entry process forwards to the end of October rather than waiting until its usual mid-November date.

Meanwhile, Silverstone and Spa-Francorchamps’ additional pit garages once again raise the possibility of seeing one-off or race-by-race entries competing in both classes.

Championship Manager Benjamin Franassovici had this to say in a statement:

“After a memorable and record-breaking 2017 campaign we’re hopeful that British GT will be bigger and better than ever before next season. Demand is already such that it makes sense for us to open the selection process earlier than usual so that teams have more time to plan once assured of their entry. That’s why I strongly suggest anyone interested should not delay registering their interest!

“We have initially reserved spaces for 14 GT3 cars, which I believe sends a strong message about our commitment to the class. British GT is still home to the strongest GT3 Pro/Am platform in Europe and ensures amateurs are able to win races and championships outright. However, Macmillan AMR’s excellent performances this year – they claimed four podiums and two pole positions – prove our Silver Cup class also represents an attractive option for aspiring professionals. The same goes for GT4 where both driver line-ups compete closely together.

“July’s announcement about the possibility of running separate GT3 and GT4 races resulted in much discussion in and outside of British GT’s paddock. There are pros and cons to both but after consultation with teams, and also taking into consideration the opinions of our fans, we believe a single multi-class championship remains the overwhelmingly best and strongest option for our championship in the foreseeable future.”

British GT’s nine-round 2018 campaign begins on its traditional Easter Bank Holiday Weekend at Oulton Park (March 31 – April 2).

Neil Simmons

Twitter: @world_racing

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