British GT announces largely unchanged calendar for 2018 season

British GT announces largely unchanged calendar for 2018 season

> Nine races staged across seven venues
> Spa switches back to single two-hour race as part of new SRO Speed Week
> New partially independent British GT4 Cup being evaluated


The British GT Championship will feature a largely unchanged calendar in 2018, with nine races spread across the same seven venues as this year. Indeed, the order each circuit is visited remains the same as 2017, while their dates only differ slightly.

Oulton Park’s popular Easter Bank Holiday meeting once again opens the championship’s 26th campaign on March 31-April 2 when two one-hour races will be staged on its full International layout. Next up it’s Rockingham, which retains its late April date and single two-hour race before Snetterton plays host to 2018’s final double-header one month later.

The series’ blue riband, three-hour Silverstone 500 is once again staged over the weekend of June 9/10 before British GT enjoys a six-week break ahead of its trip to Spa-Francorchamps. The July 21/22 date encompasses the new SRO Speed Week, which also sees the GT4 European Series Northern and Southern Cup championships competing separately over the same weekend.

Brands Hatch once again hosts the championship’s penultimate round on August 4/5, while both GT3 and GT4 titles will likely be decided during Donington Park’s season finale on September 22/23.

Championship Manager Benjamin Franassovici: “This year’s calendar worked well so we saw little reason to make significant changes for 2018. We also collaborate with SRO’s other European-based GT3 and GT4 championships to prevent as many clashes as possible, which allows teams and drivers to run dual programmes if they wish to. That’s not always possible as there’s only so many dates available, but I think we’ve struck a good compromise once again. Having our own dedicated race meeting at Spa as part of the SRO Speed Week also gives us more control over logistics, which hasn't been the case in recent years.”

SRO Motorsports Groups’ annual press conference ahead of this weekend’s Total 24 Hours of Spa, where British GT’s 2018 calendar was announced earlier today, also confirmed the intention to launch a new and separate ‘British GT4 Cup’. The category would be run semi-independently from the British GT Championship with the exception of Silverstone and Spa where it will join the GT3 grid. Further details about the format and calendar will be confirmed in due course.

Brands Hatch hosts the penultimate round of this year’s championship next weekend (August 5/6). Reserve your tickets here.

 

2018 BRITISH GT CALENDAR

1&2 - Oulton Park - March 31 - April 2 - 2x 1hr
3 - Rockingham - April 28/29 - 1x 2hr
4&5 - Snetterton - May 26/27 - 2x 1hr
6 - Silverstone 500 - June 9/10 - 1x 3hr
7 - Spa-Francorchamps - July 21/22 - 1x 2hr
8 - Brands Hatch - August 4/5 - 1x 2hr
9 - Donington Park - September 22/23 - 1x 2hr