Avon Tyres Back in Expanded GT Championship

Avon Tyres is heading into its third year of title sponsorship of the high profile UK sports car racing championship, the British GT Championship. Since 2006, iconic cars including the Aston Martin DBRS9, Ferrari 430 and Dodge Viper have battled it out for the British GT Championship, with 500bhp machines racing at the UK’s top circuits on Avon tyres.

This year, a new category has been introduced. To be known as GT4, the category features sports cars based more closely on production models than the race-bred GT3 machines that spearhead the series. “Last year’s championship was fantastic as it went down to the final round, and 2008 looks set to be even better,” said Julian Baldwin, managing director of Cooper Tire Europe. “As well as a good entry of GT3 cars already signed up to fight for the overall title, there has been a lot of interest in the GT4 category, both from new and existing teams. It all helps to add even more evocative sports cars to the grid and showcase our products in the most spectacular way.“

The 2007 championship was won by Bradley Ellis and Alex Mortimer, whose Team RPM Dodge Viper narrowly beat the bio-ethanol-powered DBRS9 of Barwell Motorsport’s Jonny Cocker and Paul Drayson. Ellis and Mortimer have confirmed they will return to defend their title. Dates for the 2008 Avon Tyres British GT Championship rounds are as follows:

22/24 Mar – Oulton Park*
12/13 Apr – Knockhill
25/26 May – Rockingham*
7/8 Jun – Snetterton
28/29 Jun – Thruxton
12/13 Jul – Brands Hatch
17 Aug – Silverstone**
21 Sep – Donington Park**

* – Bank Holiday Monday race day
** – 2-hour race (all other events feature two one-hour races)

In other motorsport related Avon Tyres news, new company has been set up to market and maintain post-2000 Formula 1 racing cars for wealthy motorsport enthusiasts. It will be known as Club PF1, and feature Avon tyres on all its vehicles.

Club PF1 has been set up by Paul Osborn and Jonathan Kaiser, owners of prestige sports and racing car dealership, Cars International Kensington, and aims to bring down the price of owning and maintaining modern F1 machinery to the same level as owning a top-end supercar.

Avon has long supplied rubber for historic F1 cars and was the sole tyre supplier to the Grand Prix-supporting International Formula 3000 Championship until its demise in 2004. The tyremaker will be joined by engine technology expert, Cosworth, in supporting PF1.

Members of the new organisation will be able to choose from a fleet of late-model Jordans, Jaguars and Super Aguris, and drive them on bespoke Avon slick racing tyres at four events per year at tracks like Donington Park and Spa.