Dunlop and the British Automobile Racing Club have chosen seven top British circuits to stage rounds of the relaunched Great and British Championship.
The circuits Rockingham, Brands Hatch, Snetterton, Donington Park, Oulton Park, Croft and Thruxton will play host to the promoted championships with dates to be releases shortly. The events are expected to include new partnerships with premium guest championships at promoted race meetings.
The revised package will include the new 'Junior Touring Car Championship' which will replace the existing Dunlop Sport Maxx Production Cup, however the official championship title and regulations for this series will be announced in November.
In addition, the Autosport Young Guns championship has also been announced. This championship will switch to the Mygale chassis used in the international Formula BMW Championships with an expected 18 participants in 2011.
The BRDC and sponsors Dunlop are hopeful they will be able to announce further additions to the package for 2011 by the end of the year, which could be existing or new championships. BARC's Dennis Carter is confident the new package can prove to be a good proving ground for young talent.
“In the past, Production Cars and National Saloons have proved to be popular and credible stepping stones to the British Touring Car Championship,” he said. “As Dunlop and BARC are long-term partners in the promotion and organisation of the BTCC, it makes sense to relaunch the Dunlop Sport Maxx Production Cup as a true BTCC feeder championship.”
Dunlop’s Motorsport Manager Gary Wassell is also confident the new and relaunched championships could mean better opportunities for young drivers, but he also believes the series' partnership with Dunlop is vital to the development of the Great and British series.
“We are delighted to extend our partnership with BARC to promote a portfolio of championships that provides a ladder to our headline BTCC partnership.
“In the past, we have brought variety to the G&B package by bringing Dunlop's diverse range of international events to British circuits, including the Dutch Supercar Challenge, International GT and European F3 Open. This new agreement gives us the opportunity to attract these championships back to the UK in future seasons” he concluded.
Photo credit: Chris Enion
