Now, this is going to be an interesting event. The chance to race on the glorious Brands Hatch GP is a rare treat, and the usual BEC front runners face stiffer competition for this prestige event, with a raft of top-line Invitation entries looking to spoil the party for the Spanish-crewed Azteca Mosler of Javier Morcillo/ Manuel Cintrano, and Paul Bailey’s twice-winning Aston Martin Vantage, shared with pro-driver Andy Schulz.
Mike Millard’s Rapier SR2 prototype, co-driven by Adam Sharpe, is a long-shot over a race distance, as is the works Chevron GT3 shared by Jordan Witt and Marcus Clutton, while the Kevin Clarke/Wayne Gibson Intersport Mosler is touch and go to be there; so we can expect the British GT contingent who are using this as a pre-emptive strike on their own race here later in the season to be in contention for honours.
The works Team LNT Ginetta G55 of marque boss Lawrence Tomlinson and factory test driver Mike Simpson – they won both times they showed up last season – will be looking to repeat their previous successes, and Trackspeed, fielding a “very special” Porsche 997 RSR for the colourful David Ashburn and Demon Tweeks boss Jon Minshaw will be going all-out, as will Lee Mowle and Joe Osborne, no strangers to the BEC, in the Optimum BMW Z4.
The much-vaunted return of Paul White’s Strata 21 team sees his new Aston Martin Vantage shared with a stellar line-up; Aston Martin Racing MD John Gaw and BTCC star Tom Onslow-Cole – the car performed well here at the recent Aston Martin Centenary (shared then with today’s rival Javier Morcillo), and is another one to watch. Added to this is former double-champion Witt Gamski, coming back after a year out, in the old favourite MJC Ferrari 430. There’s only three other people that Witt will trust in this car, and with regular driving partner, the recently-married Keith Robinson, unavailable, fellow Britcar 24hrs winner Phil Dryburgh will assist (the third trustee, Jon Gaw, is marque-tied).
The current overall title contender rests in Class 2: Super-fit amateur Ian Loggie and pro-driver Chris Jones have scored consistently well in the Team Parker Porsche 997, but the similar RSR model of Peter Cook and Anthony Mott is now getting results, and the strong Tommy Field/Chris Hart pairing (Field is a former FF Festival runner-up – to Mark Webber) in the Tracktorque Chevron GR8 will be looking to make amends after recent engine woes. Ashley Woodman and the BPM team are making progress with the unique and stunning Renault Megane Trophy, and added competition comes from the FF Corse Ferrari 430 of Jacques Duyver and Charlie Hollings, who have performed strongly in previous BEC outings.
The Webb brothers, Tom and James, have thrown a few surprises this season, their Class 3 GTS-run BMW GTR being particularly impressive in the wet at Silverstone recently; so if the threatened thunderstorms rear-up late on Sunday afternoon, they could upset the more powerful machine. But the Ryan Ratcliffe/Flick Haigh combination in the Fauldsport Ginetta G50 often punch above their weight, as do the veteran pairing of former BTCC and Le Mans star Anthony Reid and supercoach Ray Grimes, in the works Chevron GT4. BGT regular Colin White, a former Hot Rod world champion, completes the line-up in his CWS-run Ginetta G55.
Steve Wood
