British GT Championship

British GT Set For Oulton Park Bank Holiday Scorcher

The British GT Championship returns to Oulton Park on May 30 for the third and fourth rounds of the 2016 season.

27 cars will take to the grid for Bank Holiday Monday’s double header of two one-hour races.

Missing from the GT4 entry list are Stratton Motorsport’s #70 Lotus Evora GT4 previously driven by Will Hunholtz and Robin Shute and #71 Aston Martin Vantage which Robin Marriott and David Tinn contested at Rockingham.

Driver changes for Oulton Park include James Holder in the Generation AMR Racing #44 Aston Martin Vantage, replacing Jamie Chadwick who drove for the first two rounds. Additionally, Aaron Mason replaces Wilson Thompson in the #75 RCIB Insurance Racing Ginetta G55 GT4 after Thompson withdrew after competing at Brands Hatch and Rockingham.

Rounds three and four will be 60 minute races during which each car must make one pit stop and driver change with a mandatory minimum time in the pits. Although qualifying takes place in the normal manner with four separate sessions for the GT3 and GT4 Pro and Am classes, the first qualifying session sets the grid for the first race and the second session for the second race. The most experienced or fastest driver must qualify in the second session and take the start in race two. It should make for fascinating and close racing, especially during the second half of the second race.

In GT3, TF Sport will be looking to see if it can make in three in a row for the #17 Aston Martin Vantage, driven by Jonny Adam and Derek Johnston. However Liam Griffin and Adam Carroll in the #6 Barwell Motorsport Lamborghini Huracán will be looking for another solid result, with Griffin currently second in the GT3 Drivers Championship. Andrew Howard and Ross Gunn in the #1 Beechdean AMR Aston Martin Vantage GT3 will be looking to take another step up the podium after finishing third at Rockingham.

After a frustrating race for many GT4 teams at Rockingham, the Beechdean AMR pairing of Jordan Albert and Jack Bartholomew in the #407 Aston Martin Vantage head the table in the Drivers Championship. They are followed by the PMW World Expo Racing / Optimum Motorsport pairing of Graham Johnson and Mike Robinson in the #50 Ginetta G55 GT4, a car which failed to finish at Rockingham.

Across both classes, rounds three and four should offer some exciting racing as teams and drivers look to consolidate positions in the championship or make up for missed opportunities in the opening two rounds.

The cars take to the track for the first practice session on Saturday May 28 at 09:30. Qualifying starts at 15:50 later that day. Round Three of the championship takes place at 11:15 on May 30 with Round Four at 15:30.

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