Avon Tyres British GT Championship begins

The Avon Tyres British GT Championship begins at Oulton Park, Cheshire on Easter weekend. The series has attracted a field of 23 cars from 13 different manufacturers for the 2012 season – Avon’s seventh as sole tyre supplier and title sponsor. Paul Coates, general manager for Avon Tyres Motorsport, says: “The challenge of producing such a wide range of tyres and sizes for so many different cars that run to a similar pace is one that we have embraced, and we have produced a tyre that is popular with teams and drivers.”

The UK’s premier sportscar series will feature racers from Aston Martin, Audi, BMW, Chevron, Corvette, Ferrari, Ginetta, Lotus, McLaren, Mazda, Mercedes, Nissan, and Porsche, with 20 teams and 46 drivers. “We’ve worked hard over the winter to build upon the successful platform we established in 2011,” said Benjamin Franassovici, British GT championship manager. “To have such a good variety of sexy GT3 and GT4 cars is the reward from last year’s successful season.
 
“Having the likes of Nissan, BMW and Mazda joining our grid shows we’ve made a leap forward on previous years. We also welcome some quick new drivers into our family and I think we’re set for our best season to date.”
 
The championship will use Avon’s fourth-generation GT tyre, which was tested in competition at the Gulf 12 Hours race at Abu Dhabi’s Yas Marina circuit in January. Avon said that the performance of its tyres at that event, as well as its six years in British GT, helped it to secure sole tyre supplier status in the Dutch GT4 and Italian GT and Sportscar Championships.

Coates concludes: “We’re very proud of the work we’ve done on our GT tyres and they have now become the tyre of choice for many sportscar racers, not just in one-make championships but in open competition as well.

The championship begins at Oulton Park with a pair of one-hour races on Easter Monday before heading to the Nürburgring in Germany where the series will support the circuit’s famous 24 Hour race. Races follow at Rockingham, Brands Hatch, Snetterton and Silverstone before the series ends at Donington Park on 30 September.

Related news:

• Avon named tyre supplier to two Italian championships
• Avon signs 3-year Euro and Dutch GT4 series exclusive supply deal