Avon Tyres British GT Championship (Photo Credit: SRO)
The largest grid of the season will grace the Silverstone Grand Prix circuit for the final round of the Avon Tyres British GT Championship, with Lamborghini and Ford due to represented for the two hour contest.
However, while the additional entries stand testament to the resurgency he series has enjoyed this year, the destination of the championship is still to be decided with eleven drivers capable to clinching the title if the result of the race falls in their favour.
CRS Racing pairing Jim and Glynn Geddie lead the series into the final round after picking up the points lead at Rockingham in early September. Duncan Cameron and his MTECH co-driver Matt Griffin eight points behind. United Autosports drivers Matt Bell and Michael Guasch are an additional three points adrift. Scuderia Vittoria drivers Michael Lyons and Charles Bateman lie fourth after winning the three hour race at Donington Park.
Having gone winless so far this year the father and son Geddies can clinch the title – obviously – with victory at Silverstone, but any result that puts them on the podium would see them crowned champions so long as their closest three rivals do not win.
Should the Geddies finish further down the order the result would bring more and more teams into contention for the championship with both Trackspeed Porsche teams potential champions should the Geddies finish lower than ninth.
More likely, given the consistency that has given the points lead, is that the championship will be decided between the top four teams for who a podium result could prove decisive.
With RPM‘s Ford GT for Peter Bamford and Bradley Ellis the only GT3 addition to the regular entries perhaps fortunately, the additional entries are unlikely to affect the overall results but instead add competition in the GT3B class for older spec cars.
Simon Atkinson and James Pickford will share a Lamborghini Gallardo prepared by GT Cup and Britcar team Backdraft Motorsport, while Andy Ruhan – a front runner in GT Cup – and Paul White will share a Aston Martin DBRS9 run by Barwell Motorsport.
The race is also due to be the debut for a revamped Ginetta G55 in the main GT3 class. BTCC title contender Gordon Shedden will also reprise his driving duties alongside Hector Lester in the Rosso Verde Ferrari 458.
The situation in GT4 is far clearer. After dominating the class earlier in the season ABG Motorsport's Marcus Clutton and Peter Belshaw 26.5 point lead that allows them to only have to finish in the top six to clinch the title. However, here the additional entries could potentially punish the pair in the KTM XBow for any errors.
Secure Racing are once more involved, though this weekend regular driver Peter Erceg will be partnered by Tiff Needell. Chris Holmes, who drove with Erceg earlier this season, will share the Donington winning Lotus Evora with Phil Glew.
Former class champion Stuart Linn and Chris Midmark are due to bring another Ginetta G50 to the grid under the banner of Magic Racing.
Sharing the Silverstone weekend with not just the British Formula Three International Series, but also the final round of the Blancpain Endurance Series the GT Championship is running two 50-minute practice sessions on Friday before qualifying (10:40am) and the race (3:55pm) on Saturday to complete the 2011 season.
