Century Motorsport has been confirmed as the factory team for Ginetta’s vastly upgraded Ginetta G55 GT3 in the 2017 British GT Championship.
The team will run two cars in the championship with team boss Nathan Freke joining rising American star Harry Gottsacker – who raced a Ginetta G55 GT4 in the Pirelli World Challenge last year in the first confirmed entry. Drivers for the second car will be announced at a later date.
To race the new GT3 has meant things have gone slightly in full circle for Century as they assisted in the development of the original GT3 car in 2011. However, this new-for-2017 version of the car is very different to the one they knew previously.
For starters, the Nissan engine used in the last few years has been replaced with a monster of a thing – the Chevrolet LS3 that currently graces the company’s G57-P2 prototype.
Ginetta’s Technical Director Ewan Baldry said: “We know the Chevrolet engine so well from the development in the G57-P2 and it’s perfect for GT usage. The Nissan was a very aggressive engine and we had some vibration issues with it. The Chevrolet is a lower-revving unit with a better torque band. The investment in GT3 this year is a big one as we want to get that win, and also use what we find to build towards our new plans for 2018.”
As well as the new engine, the car now has a new front splitter and changes to the brakes and the driver interface systems in the GT3.
For Century Motorsport and Nathan Freke, all the changes and additions has the team looking forward to a season in British GT’s top class.
“This is a really exciting year for both Century and Ginetta as together we’re mounting a serious attack on British GT,” he said. “We helped run the GT3 car when it first came out in 2011, but this year marks the first time we’ll be involved with a properly competitive GT3 entry.
“The changes to the car are massive. The new Chevrolet engine offers more low-down torque and usable power and the chassis changes will aid slow-speed traction.
“It will be interesting working with Harry as he’s a promising young driver. He’ll have a lot to learn with the UK tracks and style of racing, but we’ll work with him and he’ll only get stronger as the year goes on.”
The first round of the British GT Championship is at Oulton Park on April 15 and 17 with The Checkered Flag providing coverage of every session.
