Photo: Snetterton Grid – 2016 (BritishGT.com / Jakob Ebrey)
The 2017 British GT Championship visits Snetterton Circuit in Norfolk on May 27 and 28 for, hopefully, a sun-drenched, action-filled Bank Holiday weekend of top-level motorsport.
The weekend sees the second and final meeting where competitors and spectators are treated to the two one-hour race format for rounds four and five which always brings about some close, highly competitive racing. The format means that the less-experienced driver will take the car to the finish in the second one-hour race, a situation which many Am drivers rarely find themselves in.
The entry list for rounds 4 & 5 looks little changed from the previous round at Rockingham. Missing, however, from the grid for Snetterton will be the #19 and #69 Century Motorsport Ginetta G55 GT3s, driven by Parker Chase and Charlie Robertson in the #19 and Harry Gottsacker and Nathan Freke in the #69. For Snetterton, Nathan Freke will be joining Anna Walewska in the #111 Century Motorsport GT4 entry, reuniting the 2016 driving partnership.
Jon Minshaw and Phil Keen in the #33 Barwell Motorsport Lamborghini Huracán GT3 lead the GT3 Drivers Standings on 68 points after victories in rounds one and two and a fourth place last time out at Rockingham. Only 8.5 points behind is the #31 Team Parker Racing Bentley Continental GT3 driven by Rick Parfitt and Seb Morris. The Bentley Boys had a disappointing opening to the season with a fourth and a fifth in the double-header at Oulton Park but came back with a win at Rockingham after the #21 Spirit Of Race Ferrari F488 GT3 of Duncan Cameron and Matt Griffin was awarded a post-race penalty for contact, demoting it to second. Parfitt and Morris will definitely be looking to take the fight to the Lamborghinis this weekend.
Cameron and Griffin, currently sitting third in the GT3 Drivers Standings on 47 points, will be looking to take maximum points at the Norfolk circuit after having shown the pace of the Ferrari F488 GT3 at Rockingham and displaying their determination to win the 2017 title.
Stuart Middelton and William Tregurtha, driving the HHC Motorsport Ginetta G55 GT4, lead the GT4 Drivers Standings on 67.5 points after taking the win in Round Three at Rockingham. Second in the GT4 Drivers Standings are 2016 GT4 champions Graham Johnson and Mike Robinson in the PMW Expo Racing / Optimum Motorsport Ginetta G55 GT4.
The weather for the Bank Holiday weekend looks very good with temperatures reaching 22 degrees on Saturday with some light cloud during the day. Sunday looks warmer with a day of unbroken sunshine and temperatures again peaking at 22 degrees. After the cold and wet start to the season, a warm, dry racing weekend will be welcome.
The timetable for the weekend is as follows:
Saturday 27.05.17:
Practice: 09:25 – 10:25
Qualifying – GT3 Am: 15:55 – 16:05
Qualifying – GT3 Pro: 16:09 – 16:19
Qualfying – GT4 Am: 16:23 – 16:33
Qualifying – GT4 Pro: 16:38 – 16:48
Sunday 28.05.17:
Warm-Up: 09:30 – 09:40
Race 1: 11:40 – 12:40
Race 2: 16:00 – 17:00
Tickets are now available on the gate only, priced at £15 for Saturday (£10 for teens aged 13 – 15) and £25 for Sunday (15 for teens).
