STEPHANE RATEL BENJAMIN FRANASSOVICI Chairman of SRO Motorsports Group British GT Championship Manager “Af ter a classic 2011 season that saw a hotly “2011 has been a huge success f or the championship, not contested title battle go down to the wire at only with the numbers of cars entered but more importantly Silv erstone, 2012 is shaping up to better the past the quality of the machinery mixed with some great racing, year. which led to f ascinating results. Looking ahead to a championship that will take in the We feel at this time that stability is key to building the finest circuits across the United Kingdom, and a championship: we need evolution, not revolution, and we European ev ent at the Nurburgring, a track steeped are conf ident of providing teams, drivers and partners with in motorsport history that it needs no introduction, I another great package next y ear. would like to thank our sponsors, Av on Ty res and Anglo American Fuels f or their continued support; In terms of rules and regulations, 2012 will be very similar without their partnership we couldn’t present such a to the 2011 season with added focus on clarity; it is this superb package to you. stability that helps make the championship as attractive as it is. With more new marques and models expected in the championship in 2012, and with interest growing The ‘pro-am’ driv er pairings will continue to be an essential from across Europe, British GT looks set for another part of the British GT platf orm, and two-car teams will in year of exhilarating and exciting racing –long may it 2012 be encouraged and rewarded by a rev ised points continue.” system for the team championship. Of f track we will continue to prov ide a prof essional hospitality service that is equal to that in International motorsport and with renewed focus on marketing and promotion, we hope to dev elop the proposition of British GT to be a more lucrativ e package for your sponsors and guests. We look forward to seeing you on track in the forthcoming season, lets make it one to remember.” HISTORY OF SRO MOTORSPORTS GROUP. SRO Motorsports Group is a company specialising in Chaired by Stephane Ratel, SRO comprises a the promotion and organisation of motorsport series. dedicated team of f ull-time and freelance staff Although primarily concerned with GT racing, with worldwide, and with the support of the FIA and whose rev iv al in the 1990’s SRO was inextricably numerous other national sporting authorities and THE CHAMPIONSHIP. linked, SRO also promotes multi-platform events. sanctioning bodies. SRO has of f ices in the UK, France, Belgium and Going into the f inal round of the 2011 Av on Ty res British GT season, there were six teams who had a SRO promotes ov er ten championships and series Germany , as well as a partnership in Latin America. chance of taking the GT3 title and three that could scoop the GT4 honours –which speaks volumes across the globe, including the FIA GT World about the parity in the championship, despite there being seventeen different models of race car Championship, the Blancpain Endurances Series, Racing in a SRO championship provides drivers and competing across the classes. the FIA GT3 European Championship, the GT4 teams with increased knowledge and opportunity to European Cup, the British GT Championship, the operate in another SRO championship; giv en the And, f or the f irst time in the championship, there were twelv e drivers who had a chance of taking the British Formula 3 International Series, the ADAC GT standardised operating models and the work outright GT3 title. With a v ast mix of competitors ranging from championship new boy s Michael Masters, the Formula Renault 2.0 UK Championship, between the championships to ensure no diary Ly ons, David McDonald and Charles Bateman to the more experienced competitors, Richard Renault Clio Cup UK and the GT 90’s Rev iv al Series. clashes occur, SRO encourages drivers and teams Westbrook, Allan Simonsen, Matt Griffin, and Tim Bridgman. SRO is also a partner in the Brazilian GT3 to participate in multiple SRO championships. Championship. With a number of young and older talented drivers emerging in GT racing, 2011 saw a healthy mix of amateur and prof essional competition. Interest in the GT3 f ormat has increased as sports car manufacturers battle to produce their next racecar offering to the market; 2011 saw the emergence of the gorgeous Ferrari 458 Italia, the curvy McLaren MP4-12c GT3, the incredible Nissan GTR GT3, and the ear shatteringly loud, Mercedes SLS GT3. In all, some 21 teams and 84 drivers in 14 marques and 18 different models of car contested the 2011 season –including the 2010 driver and team championship winner, the Porsche 997 GT3 R, the rapid “British GT more than deliv ered on its Audi R8 LMS and the promising Lotus Ev ora GT4, to name but a f ew. pre-season potential in 2011. Not only did the grid grow to an impressiv e 30 Further, of the 84 drivers who started races, all scored points at some point during the seven round cars during the course of the year, the 2011 season and ov er a third of them had nev er competed in the British GT Championship before, quality at the f ront was arguably higher such is the championship’s appeal and level of competition in recent years. than at any time in the championship’s history .” In terms of accessibility, exposure, profile and following, there are few options that surpass that presented by the British GT Championship. You could say, there has never been a better time to join. Kevin Turner, National Editor, Autosport 2011 British GT Factfile GT3 GT3B GT4 27 av erage number of cars per 7 dif f erent pairs of GT3 winners 2 dif f erent pairs of GT3B winners 4 dif f erent pairs of GT4 winners grid 4 dif f erent GT3 marque winners 2 dif f erent GT3B marque winners 3 dif f erent GT4 marque winners 21 teams 9 pairs of driv ers achieved 3 pairs of driv ers achieved podium 7 pairs of driv ers achieved podium 14 dif f erent marques across all podium f inishes finishes finishes classes 47 GT3 driv ers took part 6 GT3B driv ers took part 23 GT4 driv ers took part 18 dif f erent models of racecar REGULATIONS. SCRUTINEERING. TESTING. DRIVING STANDARDS. Based heav ily on the FIA regulations, and Scrutineering will be strictly policed Testing of any kind in any type of Race Control will monitor each driver and with balance of perf ormance (BOP) and enf orced. This process has been vehicle by championship drivers at a keep a record through the season of guidelines based on the FIA European dev eloped and streamlined through circuit that will play host to a British crashes, incidents and penalties. From race GT3 and GT4 championships, British GT experience gained ov er prev ious GT race in the f iv e days prior to the one, penalties will be applied and ‘Driv e has a prov en way of making levelling the seasons and from SRO’s ev ent is not allowed under any Through’ imposed to all driv ers not driv ing or perf ormance of different marques, making inv olv ement in International circumstance. conducting themselves to a proficient and racing more equal. motorsport. consistent standard. LICENCE REQUIREMENT AND DRIVER GRADES. DRIVER PAIRINGS. FORMAT. PIT STOPS. TYRES. FUEL. Drivers are categorized into groups A, B, British GT is a Prom-Am The 2012 Av on Ty res British GT Championship will be the headline ev ent throughout the All races f eature a mandatory 'driver All cars must use Av on tyres; each car All cars must run on a control Racing C or D according to their experience and championship, which offers gentlemen season, with multiple race formats creating excitement and interest for teams, fans, and change' pit stop. The pit stop must is restricted to a maximum of eight Fuel. successes. Grade A drivers may partner driv ers the chance to race media alike. Typically the two day event format will be: started by passing the pit lane entry slick tyres per meeting. There is no only with driv ers f rom categories D or C . competitively at the front of a leading timing loop between a set time window restriction on the number of wet- Grade B driv ers may partner only with national championship and amongst FRIDAY Team Set-up in the race. These times will v ary weather ty res. driv ers f rom categories D or C . Pairings some of the best professional drivers SATURDAY Free Practice 2 x 60 mins dependent on whether the race is of 1, of A+C or B+C grade driv ers will carry in the world today . SATURDAY Qualif y ing 2 x 15 mins 2 or 3 hour f ormat. balancing weight or be subject to an SUNDAY Race Day Either 2 x 60 mins, 1 x 120 mins, 1 x 180 mins additional time penalty ; all other pairing Subsequently , the championship also combinations are permitted. C+C drivers prov ides an opportunity for a may incure additional time penalty. gentlemen driv er to gain an International B licence, should they wish to progress to International GT racing. GT4. GT4 is another championship f or production-based cars with v ery few racing modifications; cars are effectively ‘road-legal’ and are the closest breed to driv ing a road car on-track; once a car has been approv ed by the GT4 Bureau, it cannot be modif ied by the teams, eliminating continual dev elopment costs for constructors.