British GT 2005 Entries

[TheNewBob]

Wow, having managed to miss the Autosport International show, I've only just stumbled across Scuderia Ecosse's website (www.scuderiaecosse.com), it's under construction but fantastic picture of their new 2005 colour scheme.

Unfortunately it only said "check back here for 2005 season plans" - anyone able to shed any light on this? I'm kinda hoping they stay in British GT for another year as well as any other projects...

PS - it did say "britishf3gt.com" on the advertising banner at the top of the windscreen - that can only be a hopeful sign!

[SALEEN S7R]

www.dailysportscar.com is reporting that Gruppe M will be the official FIA GT Porsche backed team, the article also mentions that Gruppe M will run in the LMES and the Asian Porsche Carerra cup this year, but no mention of British GT. Does this mean no British GT programme for Gruppe M?

[Audi R8R]

I think the team will be concentrating on FIA this year. They'll be at Magny Cours obviously, where they'll be up against British GT opposition, but my guess is that they'll concentrate on the plans that Porsche have for them.

You're right Saleen, it will be a bit of a shame, but from what I've heard, the British series looks like it will have some top notch entries as it is. Still should be a good year.

I'll be interested to see what the Eclipse team do with the Mosler this year.

[Graham Goodwin]

"Mosler"

Not quite correct!!

[Audi R8R]

Hmmm, a brace of Mosler (Mosler's??)

[SALEEN S7R]

This weeks Autosport Magazine is reporting that front running Clio cup outfit TCR is aiming to expand into the GT3 class of the British GT championship this year with a Ferrari 360. Henry Taylor shook down his newly aquired Ferrari 360 with TCR at Donnington last week, it is not certain yet though that the team will run the car throughout the season. Good news.

[TheNewBob]

British GT site - saying Damax has two GT3 ferrari 360's again. I thought they had plans to go quite a bit bigger than just a GT3 operation, though...? They've also signed a 16 year old driver... just think... probably still in school and he can thrash a 360 around a track every couple of weekends... lucky lil'.... haha

[rdjones]

I see from DSC that Embassy Racing have confirmed that they will run a Porsche 911 RSR for Neil Cunningham and Ben Collins.

[PRF]

Originally Posted by rdjones

I see from DSC that Embassy Racing have confirmed that they will run a Porsche 911 RSR for Neil Cunningham and Ben Collins.

With Ben Collins at the helm this car should fly. Always rated this guy. He really commanded respect when driving the Ascari-Judd with Luppberger.

PRF

[rdjones]

I really do think that they are going to be up there winning races this year. This year's BGT championship is shaping up to been even better than last year.

[lj79]

Certainly is rdjones, but I'd much rather pay money to watch the domestic French, Italian or Japanese series, and dont forget the Belcar big boys...

Thumping great V12, V10's, V8's or hi-tech V8s and blown 6's versus the 360 tin can, breathless Corvettes ( vis a vis works or Selleslagh run cars) or Gt3 (are they still called that?) Morgans, Lotuses (Lotii??!!), more 360 tin cans...

BGT aint what it used to be imo

[rdjones]

I disagree there, look at the Le Mans entry list there are 4 teams on there (Rollcentre, Cirtek, Scuderia Ecosse, Racesports Peninsula) who have all had success in the BGT over the last few years.

Also remember that GruppeM are a Porsche sanction team in the FIA GT Championships on the back of there success in the BGT last year. The BGT really is a steping stone to bigger things.

[lj79]

rdjones - you're point is right, but i am talking about the materiel aspects i.e. the cars not the quality of the teams.

[rdjones]

Originally Posted by lj79

rdjones - you're point is right, but i am talking about the materiel aspects i.e. the cars not the quality of the teams.

I would disagree there, I think that there are some quality cars in the BGT, what 4 or 5 top line Porsches, a couple of 360's, the Corvette's, the TVR's etc.

Remember the BGT runs to GT2 and GT3 rules and not GT1 as in France, Italy etc, but I only think it is a matter of time before the GT1 catorgy returns to the UK.

[Bentley03]

Originally Posted by rdjones

.......but I only think it is a matter of time before the GT1 catorgy returns to the UK.

I very much hope so! Is your comment in any way substantiated? If so what time scale would you expect?

[Graham Goodwin]

Originally Posted by lj79

Certainly is rdjones, but I'd much rather pay money to watch the domestic French, Italian or Japanese series, and dont forget the Belcar big boys...

Thumping great V12, V10's, V8's or hi-tech V8s and blown 6's versus the 360 tin can, breathless Corvettes ( vis a vis works or Selleslagh run cars) or Gt3 (are they still called that?) Morgans, Lotuses (Lotii??!!), more 360 tin cans...

BGT aint what it used to be imo

Given the choice between a smallish number of fairly elderly GT1s and a pack of top level GT2s (and that's exactly what we'll have in 2005) I know what i'd choose.

As for GT3 - The cars may not be as dramatic as the big bangers but the racing has been stunning.

[Bentley03]

Originally Posted by Graham Goodwin

Given the choice between a smallish number of fairly elderly GT1s and a pack of top level GT2s (and that's exactly what we'll have in 2005) I know what i'd choose.

Although it would give a good home to an abundance of unwanted 575's.

[TheNewBob]

lol - and it would be a good place to race the old Vipers that won't be in use this year. Would be a shame to see them just disappear altogether, they'd still be somewhat competitive in BGT. They don't have to be brand new cars, the championship acts as a "stepping stone" so people just need to get used to that kind of machinery. Surely there are some slightly older cars hanging around that cud be leased out or whatever. Doesn't even have to be that many. 6, maybe 8 cars would do the trick.

I know it's all fanciful thinking, and yeh there's question of costs again, but Stephane Ratel did say he wanted to get the top class back in eventually whilst he was calling the shots...

[Audi R8R]

Originally Posted by rdjones

but I only think it is a matter of time before the GT1 catorgy returns to the UK.

You're having a laugh, right?

If the FIA and LMES teams are struggling to find budgets big enough to purchase the next generation of GT1 spec machines, for a bigger series, with bigger TV and marketing avenues.


Do you really think that a domestic championship will go that route too?
The new type series works as it gives mega close and competitive racing.

And lj79, are you going to watch the racing, or just to listen to the noise? I can see your point on seeing big fast cars, but I'll watch LMES or FIA for that, that's kind of the point. Leaves the top flight British and fledgling teams to build up their stature in the domestic series'.

[TheNewBob]

As far as I know the British GT championship, since 2000 or so when the original GT1's left, never really had much in the way of absolutle brand new fresh cutting edge machinery, with the possible exception of the Saleen S7's in 2002.

A lot of the grids were made up of cars which hadn't been seen internationally for a long time, including the likes of Lotus Esprit, Marcos LM600, Ferrari F40, TVR Speed 12, Venturi 600LM, Chevvy Camaro - it never had anything in the way of Ferrari 550's and 575's, Corvette C5R's, and whatever else was racing internationally at the time.

I'd like to see a GT1 class in BGT cos people still have cars like Stealth's, Ultima's, Marcos LM600's, vipers, which they are maybe still willing to throw around a track. The likes of Creation Autosportif were also selling their Listers, which would always be welcomed with open arms to the British championship once more, I'm sure.

This sort of thing might be a cheaper route than starting out with the absolute cutting edge machinery. I'm not saying go back to completely ancient cars, either. But I'm guessing it's still a question of cost?

[lj79]

Originally Posted by Audi R8R

And lj79, are you going to watch the racing, or just to listen to the noise? I can see your point on seeing big fast cars, but I'll watch LMES or FIA for that, that's kind of the point. Leaves the top flight British and fledgling teams to build up their stature in the domestic series'.

My point was that BGT is not what it was given that we no longer have the GT1 cars and that alone. No allusion at all to the quality of the teams or the racing or to the successful progression of teams to the international scene.

Watching motorsport is a combination of everything. Sights and sounds, for me personally, play a real big part as well as the racing.

How often has LM been a procession up front - many times, but it hasn't detracted too many folk, who wish to see the fastest cars that sportscar racing can offer.

Just a shame that BGT no longer features Storms, GT1 Vipers, Saleens, Cor Euser's Marcos or the Speed 12.

[TheNewBob]

that is true. if sight and sound didn't matter then we all might as well go watch Formula 3 or Formula Ford racing in Britain instead. Now they ARE boring. GT racing has something spectacular about it in the way of the sight and sounds.

Actually come to think of it, even with no GT1 class, it'll be a heck of a lot better racing than any single-seater sport lol.

[SALEEN S7R]

Just in case anyone is interested there are quite a number of very good quality photos from the recent Thruxton test here. http://rallyphoto.co.uk/thruxton2005test/index.html

[TheNewBob]

that JMH 360 looks pretty gud. is that a British GT GT3 entry? tried their website for info but racing section doesn't seem to have been updated since the end of 2003...

PS, i did forget - anybody able to create an updated list of entries for British GT this year? has been a while...

[Graham Goodwin]

The White 360 is Phil Burton's car shared with Fluxie

The car is a full season GT3 entry

As far as full season lists are concerned - Provisionally you're looking at 5 x 911 RSR's 1 or two 911GT3-RS, 2 x 360 GTC, 2 or 3 TVR T400Rs, Mosler (s), Corvette (s) and others in GT2 with a squadron of 911s and 360s in GT3 joined by a Morgan, Marcos, Lotus, 2 x BMWs (at least) and others