> Debutants and a former champion add further variety to season finale’s entry
Simon Green Motorsport will add further variety to the Intelligent Money British GT Championship’s #Silverstone500 entry on November 7/8 when Lucky Khera, Lee Frost and Ross Wylie team up aboard a GTC-spec Ferrari 488 Challenge.
Like the team, Frost and Khera make their series debuts at British GT’s three-hour season finale where the 2020 GT3 and GT4 titles will be decided. Meanwhile, 2014 GT4 champion Wylie makes his first start since contesting the 2016 GT3 campaign with Motorbase Performance.
Although new to British GT, SGM are no strangers to GT racing or the Ferrari they’re entering at Silverstone. The team claimed several Britcar podiums with a McLaren 650S GT3 – the same chassis formally run by Balfe Motorsport in British GT – last season before switching to the Porsche Carrera Cup GB and Ferrari Challenge UK championships at the start of 2020. Indeed, Frost and Khera both currently campaign the team’s Porsches while the latter also claimed GT Cup podiums with the Ferrari and Wylie at Silverstone earlier this year.
However, Khera’s greatest success has come in Ferrari Challenge UK where he dominated this year’s Drivers’ title.
“Following a perfect Ferrari Challenge UK season as well as class and overall wins in GT Cup at Silverstone the only natural next step was to tackle British GT,” he said. “This is the perfect opportunity to evaluate options for 2020 – it’s exciting to see how the GTC class can grow within the championship.”
Frost also steps up after sampling the Ferrari and endurance racing at national level in 2019.
“British GT has always been a championship that I’ve wanted to try,” he said. “For various reasons it didn’t happen in 2019 so it’s great to finally get the chance, and especially as I’ll be alongside Lucky again after we shared the Ferrari in Britcar last season. The three-hour format also offers something a bit different to the sprint races we’ve contested throughout the year.”
The Silverstone 500 also marks a return to endurance racing for Wylie who has competed against Frost and Khera – albeit in a higher class – in Porsche Carrera Cup GB this year. The Scot has previously contested British GT’s GT3 and GT4 classes but never the GTC category for one-make cup cars that sits between them.
“I’m absolutely delighted to be joining the guys at SGM for my British GT return at the Silverstone 500,” he said. “I haven’t contested the championship since 2016 and am really looking forward to sharing a car with Lucky and Lee. I have never competed in the GTC category before but have plenty of mileage in the 488 Challenge so it will be interesting to see how we fair against the cars around us. What a great way for us to round out the 2020 season.”
Team boss Simon Green, who founded the outfit in 2009, added: “It’s a dream come true for the team to compete in British GT’s final round of the season and extra special to have such a strong driver line-up of Lee, Lucky and Ross joining us for it. The Ferrari 488 Challenge car has been faultless all year and we’re looking forward to another good outing on Silverstone’s GP layout after scoring wins there earlier in the season.”
Further race-by-race entries – including GTC – will be announced in the coming weeks.
Covid measures will prevent spectators from attending British GT’s #SilverstoneShowdown. However, fans around the world can watch the three-hour season finale live on British GT’s Facebook page and website, as well as SRO’s GT World Youtube channel, from 12:45 GMT on November 8.