British GT finally kicks off at Brands Hatch next weekend with twenty six runners

Saturday, May 15, 2021

Nearly eight weeks after originally intended this year, the British GT Championship will finally get underway next weekend from Brands Hatch with another diverse grid of modern GT3 and GT4 machinery.

Aston Martin Racing Partner and Customer teams will again be in attendance – sadly not in the numbers that we have been previously used to and not with TF Sport defending their GT4 crown that drivers Jamie Caroline and Dan Vaughan secured for themselves and the team after a dramatic concluding race and COVID-19 eventful 2020 season.

With that virus hopefully now being pushed firmly behind us here in the UK, next weekend’s opening two-hour opener around the picturesque Grand Prix circuit of the Kent circuit will allow up to 4000 spectators permitted in to watch the twenty-six runners including just the two AMR runners (at this event) from the AMR family.

Understandably putting his family business first and foremost last year but having returned for a one-off race last season inbetween, Beechdean AMR’s Andrew Howard was one of the first team/crews to confirm their 2021 participation as the team will come for some more competitive racing with their easily identifiable red, yellow and blue AMR Vantage GT3 that Howard will share again with AMR factory driver Jonny Adam within the Pro-Am class.

They will be joined by one of the most recent announcements from the Ultimate Speed team of Mike Brown and Matt Manderson who are coming back this time around for a near full season with their next to new 2019 specification AMR Vantage GT3 in the new for 2021 Am-Silver class.

We will unfortunately have to wait until the second round of the Championship from Silverstone towards the end of June to welcome the third AMR team to the grid in the form of the Newbridge Motorsport AMR Vantage GT4 of Matt Topham and AMR factory driver Darren Turner.

Strange times remain from the pandemic but this year’s grid of 26 cars reflects a small increase in number of entries from the first event of last year as confidence remains high in those who have put the necessary financial provisions in place in order to go GT racing in the UK – and that is always a good thing for which we are all highly appreciative of.

Anyone wanting to attend this event is reminded to purchase their ticket from MSV in advance as no ‘on the door’ tickets will be available.

Photo credits - Jacob Ebrey / Team