Looking Ahead – Racing at Snetterton

The GT Cup returns to Norfolk this weekend as the championship makes the first of two visits to Snetterton. Following on from an excellent set of races at Brands Hatch, our teams have four more races to battle it out in the long quest for championship points.

Members of three different race groups make up the top three points positions in the overall championship table though it’s all changed after our last event. Currently leading are GTO duo Paul Bailey and Ross Wylie with 144 points. Just four points adrift sits the Woodrow Motorsport pairing of Matty Evans and Kev Clarke, while Group GT3’s Sacha Kakad and Hugo Cook are just two points further back.

It should come as no surprise that as the leader of the Overall Championship, Bailey and Wylie also lead the Group GTO title fight. Woodrow Motorsport’s Chris Murphy sits 24 points behind on 120 points with Grahame Tilley and Sennan Fielding in third on 94. Unfortunately, Tilley and Fielding will be sitting out this weekend’s races following an incident at Brands Hatch. The Group GTO grid is being bolstered this weekend by an extra entry from National Motorsport Academy as Kevin Riley brings a second Mosler MT900 to play.

The car sitting second in the overall title is the Group GTC leader on 140 points. Matty Evans and Kev Clarke took two wins and two podiums from Brands Hatch, with enough points to put them ahead of the #2 TopCats Racing Lamborghini. There’ll be a driver change at TopCats this weekend as Warren Gilbert trades places with Gilbert Yates. Just five points behind TopCats on 105 is the triple threat of Russ Lindsay, Patrick Collins and Will Dendy. Finishing up the Group GTC grid is Team Parker Racing’s Keith Bush who scored his first podium of the season last time out at Brands Hatch.

J&S Racing’s Kakad and Cook have been improving race on race and with a win and two podium finishes at Brands Hatch, snatched the Group GT3 points lead. Lucky Khera and Euan Hankey also found themselves rising up the order, now sitting in second on 120 points. Drivetac’s James Wallis and Sam Maher-Loughnan had a mixed weekend, but a win and a podium finish puts them third in the title fight. Six other entrants will be bringing the battle to our top three, totalling nine GT3 cars on the grid. McLaren remains the most popular manufacturer in the group with Greystone GT, Optimum Motorsport, Orange Racing powered by JMH , Enduro Motorsport and newcomers 7TSIX representing the brand. G-Cat Racing remain the only Porsche on the grid with Shamus Jennings and Greg Caton behind the wheel of the 997 GT3 RS.

James Guess and Tom Canning have retained their GTH lead though the margin has shrunk somewhat. A single point behind is RAM Racing’s #42 Mercedes AMG GT4. In third sits Makehappen Racing’s Stephen Walton and Chris Hart. The pair came away from Brands Hatch with a couple of podium finishes and an extra point for fastest lap during Saturday’s Sprint Race. John Currie and Phil Keen return as the second entry for Makehappen Racing as the squad rack up the points for their attempt on the team title. Also lining up on the Group GTH grid are Paddock Motorsport, 24-7 Motorsport and Greystone GT rounding out the numbers.

Each day at Snetterton will start with a 15-minute free practice session followed by two 15-minute qualifying sessions with three groups running in each session. Qualifying times set the grid for the day’s 25-minute Sprint Race. The fastest laps during the Sprint then determine who sits where on the grid for the 50-minute Pit-Stop Race.

Track action kicks off on Saturday morning with free practice at 10.05am. Plus, all four races will be broadcast live on Facebook and YouTube.