Attention at Brands Hatch will naturally focus on the battles for overall championship titles. But there are several driver changes across the wider entry list worth highlighting ahead of British GT’s season finale.
Three of them centre on the GT3 class where Beechdean AMR, Team RJN and Orange/JMH have a combination of new and returning drivers. A reigning champion also makes his return at Century, and Toyota Gazoo Racing UK have an all-new line up.
Tom Wood last contested British GT as a 16-year-old back in 2018. Now, and with Jessica Hawkins unavailable due to clashing commitments, he joins Andrew Howard aboard Beechdean’s Vantage GT3 – a model he has tested but never raced despite his role as an Aston Martin Lagonda Pro driver.
The entry remains in Silver-Am but is ineligible to score points.
“This a dream come true,” said Wood, who raced Aston Martin’s GT4-spec Vantage in 2018 and ‘19. “To make my GT3 race debut with a championship-winning team like Beechdean AMR is not something I expected even a week ago and I fully intend to make the most of the opportunity. I’ve recently tested a GT3 car and it suits my driving style far better than the GT4, so that’s a fantastic confidence boost. I always go into every race I do wanting to win and this is no different.”
McLaren junior Benjamin Goethe is no stranger to the 720S GT3 Evo after spending two years racing a Garage 59 example in Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe Powered by AWS and beyond. But his regular team becomes a rival at Brands Hatch this weekend when he links up with Simon Orange for the first time.
GP circuit experience can be hard to come by but the 22-year-old Danish-German racer has plenty from the past four years of Sprint Cup competition.
Josh Caygill also knows his way around the McLaren thanks to his current FIA WEC programme with United Autosports. Now he joins Al Buncombe in Team RJN’s example which, like Orange/JMH, is ineligible to score points.
There are also significant changes in the GT4 class where reigning Pro-Am champion Chris Salkeld joins forces with his old team principal Nathan Freke aboard the same BMW M4 as he raced last year.
“I am shocked, amazed, yet absolutely buzzing to announce, I’m returning to British GT this weekend in the BMW M4 GT4 with Century for the final round of the season!” he said. “I wasn’t expecting a return to come this year but when the call from Nathan came to fill in for the final round, it was a no brainer and probably the fastest yes I’ve ever said, but to hear my co-driver would be the main man himself man, that is the icing on the cake!”
The pair are battling for GT4 honours against the likes of Toyota Gazoo Racing UK whose new Pro-Am crew consists of Benjamin Tusting and Michael O’Brien. Further details about that particular entry will be revealed tomorrow.