Downing and Webb look for race rewards as GT Cup heads to Snetterton

9th August 2017


An exciting GT Cup Championship season makes its first visit to Snetterton this weekend, with close battles in all four Groups to look forward to.

The Group GTB lead changed hands at Oulton Park, with the Tom and James Webb BMW M3 E46 GTR failing to finish either race. This was to the advantage of a delighted Neil Huggins who took both victories in his Lamborghini Gallardo Super Trofeo LP570-4, and now has a 28 point lead. Nick Barrow and Richard Corbett make their first start this season in the BMW V10 150 GTR and could cause an upset, while the John Saunders and Patrick Scharfegger Ginetta G50 can’t be counted out, just 14 points behind the Webbs in third.

Dominic Paul leads the standings in Group GTA ahead of teammate Brent Millage. Paul has proven difficult to beat all season, so he’ll be hoping to keep the gap atop the GTA standings. Alan Henderson and Daniel Irving will enter the Group in a Ginetta G50, while Chris Murphy and Matt George add their Aston Martin GT4 as well.

Paul sits second in the overall championship behind runaway Group GTO leader Graham Davidson, who has scored 11 overall victories in 13 races in his McLaren MP4/12-C. Davidson was fortunate to win both races at Oulton Park however, as Gareth Downing retired from the lead in race one in the Mosler MT900, and he only passed newcomers Mike Brown and Matt Manderson’s Aston Martin GT3 in the final moments of race two.

Brown and Manderson return to Group GTO and will hope to hold out for victory this time out, but competition will be tough against the Mosler and fellow Aston Martin GT3, and double race winners, Nigel Hudson and Adam Wilcox.

In Group GTC Jake Rattenbury, in the Lamborghini Huracan Super Trofeo, scored two dominant Group victories at Oulton Park but will he have it his own way at Snetterton? Bonamy Grimes returns and scored three impressive wins last year so watch out, as the action will be frenetic.

The cars will be on track at 09:00 on Saturday 12th August for a thirty minute practice session, followed by qualifying at 11:15. There will be two 25-minute sprint races that afternoon at 14:00 and 17:00. Sunday’s action starts with the warm up at 09:25 and qualifying at 11:05. The 50-minute endurance race starts at 14:05, with mandatory pit stops, which take place between the 24th and 40th minutes of the race. Minimum pit stop times are 75-seconds, with success seconds added for the podium finishers from the previous weekend, and new entrants.

Track Days / Test Days / MotorsportDays.com