Overhauled Nine-Race British GT Calendar Released

SRO Motorsports Group has released a revised nine-race schedule for the Intelligent Money British GT Championship, spread across six rounds between August and November.

Five British GT rounds had already been postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the two remaining dates – at Brands Hatch and Donington Park – are the only unchanged events on the revised calendar.

The existing Donington event, which will be the mixed GT3 and GT4 series’ second visit to the Leicestershire track, is still scheduled for Sept. 19-20, but now clashes with the rescheduled 24 Hours of Le Mans.

“Regrettably, and despite the best efforts of championship organisers, a lack of viable alternative dates has resulted in an unavoidable clash,” read a statement released by SRO.

The season is now set to get underway at Oulton Park on Aug. 1-2, before its first visit to Donington two weeks later, and its unchanged trip to Brands Hatch two weeks after that.

Following the second Donington visit in mid-September, the championship heads to Snetterton on Oct. 3-4, before finishing its campaign with the traditional three-hour Silverstone 500 on Nov. 7-8.

The series has kept a combined 15 hours of racing time with some new-look event formats, including a combination of one, two and three-hour races.

There are no clashes with SRO’s GT World Challenge Europe powered by AWS or GT4 European Series calendars, but the Snetterton round is on the same weekend as the Intercontinental GT Challenge powered by Pirelli’s Indianapolis 8 Hour.

Furthermore, the mid-August Donington date clashes with the FIA World Endurance Championship’s Total 6 Hours of Spa, posing similar clash problems for many of the drivers and teams affected by the Le Mans clash a month later.

All dates remain subject to measures taken by Motorsport UK and the British government.

Motorsport UK is expected to publish government-led guidelines soon that will dictate limitations on personnel permitted at events, and how procedures could be changed to accommodate social distancing measures if still required at the time.

“Hosting six events within three months hasn’t been easy to organise – there’s a lot to consider and a finite number of dates available at suitable UK circuits that avoid clashes with SRO’s European championships, which has remained a priority throughout,” commented championship manager Lauren Granville.

“We’re delighted to present a revised calendar that includes trips to all of our previously scheduled UK circuits and retains 15 hours of racing across nine races.

“We feel that starting the season in Britain in August is the most pragmatic approach to a very complicated situation, hence our decision not to visit Spa this year.

“It’s sure to be a very busy three months for everyone but after being locked down for so long our teams and drivers are even more eager to go racing than ever before.

“Equally, British GT’s staff and I cannot wait to make up for lost time: we have a fabulous entry list and, now, a revised calendar that’s able to do it justice.”

2020 Intelligent Money British GT Championship Schedule (Revised)

Aug. 1-2 – Oulton Park (2x 1H)
Aug. 15-16 – Donington Park (1x 1H + 1x 2H)
Aug. 29-30 – Brands Hatch (1x 2H)
Sept. 19-20 – Donington Park (1x 3H)
Oct. 3-4 – Snetterton (2x 1H)
Nov. 7-8 – Silverstone 500 (1x 3H)