Beechdean AMR to Take Sabbatical from British GT

Photo: Jakob Ebrey

Beechdean AMR will not return to the British GT Championship in 2017, as the team focuses on its European Le Mans Series and 24 Hours of Le Mans programs, it was announced on Monday.

The team has been a staple part of the series since 2006 and over the past ten years has scored 20 class wins and four drivers’ championships.

However, on the back of taking both the GT3 and GT4 titles in 2015, the Andrew Howard-led team struggled in 2016 with no overall race wins.

As the only full-season driver in the No. 1 Aston Martin Vantage GT3 last season, Howard finished ninth in the overall standings.

Meanwhile, two class wins weren’t enough to set Beechdean AMR up for its third consecutive GT4 title, instead finishing third in the teams’ standings.

In 2017, the team will instead focus its efforts on Le Mans, retaining its ELMS GTE title, and several SRO events.

However, team boss Howard hasn’t entirely closed the door on the possibility of returning to British GT after 2017.

“British GT is one of the best Pro-Am championships in Europe, and we look forward to returning in the near future,” he said.

Jake Kilshaw

Jake Kilshaw is a UK-based journalist. He is a graduate of Politics and International Relations.