If only Fanny Fern had been at Snetterton last Tuesday. For the evidence was clear, clouds really do have silver linings, and in the case of the British GT Championship, not even the perilous skies that hung over Norfolk could disguise the ever-brightening future of a grid seeing its ranks swell with more and more fast-paced young professionals.

Of course, days like this are rarely about headlines and performance; most teams that take to the track will want to keep everyone guessing (though it doesn’t hurt to lay down the odd marker). No, this was about the championship; its strength and the promise of what’s to come.. and as far as British GT is concerned, this means a capacity grid, representing ten different manufacturers, and even more GT3 machines, racing for the top prize.

The team from SkiddMark will be at every round, bringing you the very best of the action from both classes, but for now, we hope you enjoy this taste of what’s in store..

    Leading the timing sheets in GT3 were the stars of 2019. At TF Sport, reigning Champion, Graham Davidson, has teamed-up with GT4 Champion Tom Canning. Both looked suitably dialled-in to this year’s car but it was the Balfe McLaren 720S of Shaun Balfe & Rob Bell that delivered the fastest lap of the day.

    In GT4, TF Sport know that the stakes have been raised as it prepares to defend last year’s title; In response, Tom Ferrier has assembled one of the strongest GT4 pairings we’re ever likely to see: Jamie Caroline & Dan Vaughan aren’t just racers, they’re out-and-out winners and can be expected to race harder and faster than ever as each seeks to prove his worth.

    The other standout performance in GT4 was from the #61 Academy Motorsport Ford Mustang of Jordan Albert & Matt Cowley. Cowley still has to find the budget to secure his seat switch from the GT4 European Series and used his time well by easing into the top spot in Matt Nicoll-Jones’ garage.

    As ever, it wasn’t just drivers on display but the teams too. TF Sport raced to both the GT3 & GT4 crowns in 2019 and look determined to hold on to both top spots.

    The Academy Motorsport crew soon found their pace, switching from Aston Martin to the new Multimatic Mustang.

    GT4 ranks continue to attract drivers of all ages and experience. Connor O’Brien & Patrick Kibble are still only teenagers but are both returning for a second season in the Vantage.

    50 yr-old Mia Flewitt graduates from her inaugural Pure McLaren championship win to a full season in the Balfe 570S where she will be joined by seasoned pro, Euan Hankey.

    Jonny Adam is undoubtedly one of the finest GT racers in the world. To date, he’s amassed four British GT titles (including winning last year’s crown with Graham Davidson). Now he’s teamed-up at TF Sport with Ahmad Al Harthy (runner-up with Michael Caine in 2014) to launch his assault on title #5.

    Across at Beechdean-AMR (the team that took Adam to his first title in 2015), Andrew Howard returns with Ross Gunn, whilst Jack Mitchell (another of our most-rated drivers) will pair with France’s Valentin Hasse-Clot. Gunn and Mitchell shared duties at Snetterton and both looked primed for the challenge ahead.

    Optimum Motorsport have switched to the McLaren 720S for 2020. The Aussie pairing of Martin Berry & Nick Foster will bring their Blancpain experience to the grid whilst former GT4 Pro-Am winners, Nick Jones & Scott Malvern are also doing the Continental, in this case with a trade-up to Team Parker Racing’s GT3 Bentley.

    Focused on building their careers: Matt Cowley isn’t only a double-champion stateside, he’s also the recipient of one of it’s biggest racing honours (the SCCA’s President’s Cup). Now the former Formula Ford racer is turning his attention back to home shores, hoping to secure the funding necessary to star in the Mustang.

    Gus Bowers is making the move-up from club racing in 2020, joining HHC in the McLaren 570S GT4. Bowers previously raced in the Ginetta GT5 Championship and will join Chris Wesemael as both prepare for their GT debuts.

    Fresh from success both on track and in the ballroom, Kelvin Fletcher (and his partner Martin Plowman) are quick-stepping-up to Bentley GT3 power with JRM. Joining the grid for a full-season will be former GT Cup racer John Seale, sharing duties with Adam Hatfield & Jordan Witt.

    We only saw two of the three Mercedes-AMG GT3s on Tuesday. Richard Neary will be joined by son Sam in the Team ABBA Racing car whilst last year’s title contender, Sam De Haan switches from Lamborghini and joins-up with former Super Trofeo star, Patrick Kujala at RAM Racing.

    Standout cars, standout drivers, standout racing and standout liveries. British GT is coming.

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Images: Pete Walker (PAW Photography) and Howard Fielding (@PhotoWodUK).
British GT media day