British GT 2023

[rdjones]

The calendar for the 2023 British GT Championship is out:-

April 8 & 10 – Oulton Park (2x 1-hour)
May 6/7 – Silverstone 500 (1x 3-hour)
May 27/28 – Donington Park (1x 2-hour)
June 24/25 – Snetterton (2x 1-hour)
July 15/16 – Algarve (1x 3-hour)
September 9/10 – Brands Hatch (1x 2-hour)
October 14/15 – Donington Park (1x 2-hour)

Spa has been dropped instead they will head to Portimão which is an interesting change.

More at https://www.britishgt.com/news/859

[SnoodyMcFlude]

Very interesting change. I can understand Spa because a number of the teams will be there for the 24 and it's only a short journey the other side of the channel, but surely Portimao is going to be a lot more expensive?

[tux]

Cant understand going to Algarve but then im not an SRO customer...

[Bcarr6]

Originally Posted by tux

Cant understand going to Algarve but then im not an SRO customer...

Its a lot warmer in the Algarve than Belgium... Holiday/raceweekend

[GCCheddaris]

Sadly still no Thruxton. I know there have been issues in the past but it's a shame there don't seem to be any solutions. Spa I could understand for a British championship meeting but a 3000 mile plus round trip to Portimao at one of the busiest and hottest times of the year ?

[SnoodyMcFlude]

Is part of the reason to avoid Thruxton because it's so abrasive? Not ideal for endurance racing.

[GCCheddaris]

Originally Posted by SnoodyMcFlude

Is part of the reason to avoid Thruxton because it's so abrasive? Not ideal for endurance racing.

That is a possibility. I have heard it said that the tyre manufacturer couldn't guarantee the safety of it's tyres at Thruxton. A shame there doesn't seem to be any solutions being offered.

[fergus_r]

I see no reason why British GT would go back to Thruxton, even if they were to upgrade the pit lane and garages, which seemed to be the main reason for abandoning the place after 2008.

People are paying big money to run these cars and they want the best tracks and facilities. And - as others have said - the track surface is another major issue, and is why the quicker BTCC support categories (Porsche's, Ginetta GTs) stopped going there.

[GCCheddaris]

Originally Posted by fergus_r

I see no reason why British GT would go back to Thruxton, even if they were to upgrade the pit lane and garages, which seemed to be the main reason for abandoning the place after 2008.

People are paying big money to run these cars and they want the best tracks and facilities. And - as others have said - the track surface is another major issue, and is why the quicker BTCC support categories (Porsche's, Ginetta GTs) stopped going there.

Both the Porsche Carrera Cup and Ginetta Supercup are at Thruxton over the August Bank Holiday weekend.

[PeterY]

I think the move to Portimao might be a good one, the additional expense is probably negligable with the budgets in the series anyway but the change of circuit is always good for a driver for renewed interest. If the calendar is always the same drivers will look elsewhere to get the experience they want.
I've always thought that the Euro round should try and be at a different circuit each year to mix it up. If it doesn't work i'm sure they will have the option to go to back to Spa in 2024

[Speed-King]

Originally Posted by PeterY

I think the move to Portimao might be a good one, the additional expense is probably negligable with the budgets in the series anyway but the change of circuit is always good for a driver for renewed interest. If the calendar is always the same drivers will look elsewhere to get the experience they want.
I've always thought that the Euro round should try and be at a different circuit each year to mix it up. If it doesn't work i'm sure they will have the option to go to back to Spa in 2024

I am not sure in how far this applies to SRO events, but at least for more amateur series, Spa is one of the most expensive circuits and that cost gets typically passed on to the competitors.

[bella]

Originally Posted by GCCheddaris

That is a possibility. I have heard it said that the tyre manufacturer couldn't guarantee the safety of it's tyres at Thruxton. A shame there doesn't seem to be any solutions being offered.

pirelli flat refuse to go there. it goes back to engineering staff who used to work for avon when they supplied british gt.

they’d have to design and produce a new tyre in every size required by the grid, and restrict setup. even then it’s not worth the corporate risk - see goodyear and the nordschleife/wtcc this year.

[stuart thompson]

Beechdean returning to British GT for remainder of season as they withdraw from GTWC endurance