British GT

Sportscar racing in the UK comes no more prestigious and with no higher profile than that enjoyed by the Avon Tyres British GT Championship.

After three years racing in single-seaters, where he became a multiple race-winner and title contender

in the Formula Renault UK Championship, Jeremy Metcalfe made his full season sportscar debut in 2008 at the wheel of a CR Scuderia run Ferrari 430 - and what a year it turned out to be!

Competing in the headline GT3 Class, where he partnered former British Touring Car Championship racer and experienced GT runner Luke Hines, Jeremy hit the ground running by taking his maiden race victory during only his third ever race in the championship. He went on to claim a further win during the season finale and also made four other podium visits during the course of the year.

While the differences between sportscars and single-seaters are plain to see, there are less obvious changes Jeremy needed to get used to this year – one and two hour endurance races, compulsory

pit-stops with driver changes and ‘rolling’ starts to name but three.

After graduating from karts to cars in 2005, Jeremy focused solely on single-seaters. However, he then experienced sportscar competition for the first time in 2007 when given the opportunity to race the ‘VIP’ guest car in the Porsche Carrera Cup GB Championship at Knockhill in Scotland.

In the GT3 class of British GT, permitted cars are very similar to their road-going cousins. The major differences are the stripped out interior of the race car and added safety devices. Teams are permitted to modify suspension, bodywork and engines, although such alterations are policed closely by officials.

To make it easier to spot the cars on track and the different classes each competes in, the championship employs a coloured system for the number panels on each vehicle. For GT3 the cars in class feature white numbers on a red background.

As in recent years, the British GT Championship has received excellent television coverage in the UK on Channel 4 and Motors TV. In addition, programming has been broadcast across the globe as far afield as South America and the Far East.

Sponsors and VIP guests are also able to benefit from superb hospitality in the official paddock Race Centre of the Avon Tyres British GT Championship. Here, winning drivers also address print and broadcast media during post-race press conferences.

Tech Spec

Car:Tatuus FR 2.0   Engine:1998cc, 4-cylinder,Renault F4R  Power:192hp@6,500rpm  Top Speed:150mph approx 

Acceleration: 0-100mph in 4.2 seconds  Gearbox:Sadev 6-speed sequential  Tyres:Michelin Control  Min Weight:490kg without driver, 565kg with driver