Silverstone represents round four of this year’s Blancpain GT Series and second of the Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup. The second three-hour race of the season will witness another confrontation between the main players of what is fast becoming the best Blancpain GT Series campaign in history.
It is not uncommon for different drivers to lead a championship’s standings after each of the first three rounds. However, it is unusual to do so without winning the previous race, save for the opening round of the season, of course.
But that is exactly the scenario Bell finds himself in ahead of Silverstone. The #58 Garage 59 McLaren driver moved up to second after winning at Monza with Shane Van Gisbergen and Côme Ledogar, before crossing the line fourth at Brands Hatch - sharing the car with his regular Sprint Cup co-driver Alvaro Parente - helped to establish his four-point lead in the standings. Chances are the Briton could become the first driver in 2016 to hold on to that position, for Silverstone is a circuit that suits the McLaren well. Indeed, it was at the same venue 12 months ago that the 650S celebrated its maiden Blancpain GT Series win with none other than Bell as part of its crew.
Second in the standings are Maxi Buhk and Dominik Baumann. The Austro-German pairing finished second in Misano and Monza, and would have loved to go one better at Brands Hatch. A small mistake in qualifying and penalty in the Qualifying Race meant the #84 HTP Motorsport Mercedes-AMG was only 18th on the starting grid for Sunday's Main Race, before inspired drives from both Baumann and Buhk helped it finish seventh and salvage some points. Jazeman Jaafar again joins the line-up at Silverstone.
#8 Bentley Team M-Sport Continental pairing Maxime Soulet and Andy Soucek have finished on the podium during each of 2016’s three race weekends - although their Misano rostrum came in the Qualifying Race - helping them to collect a creditable 38 points. Another podium finish in Monza - where reigning Endurance champion Wolfgang Reip joins as their co-driver - would confirm their status of title candidates.
Belgian Audi Club Team WRT won Sprint races at both Misano and Brands Hatch but is having a hard time getting its drivers to the top of the rankings. Best-placed are still Laurens Vanthoor and Fred Vervisch, despite their Brands Hatch tally being limited to the two units scored in the Qualifying Race. That means the Belgian duo - who are again joined by Laurens' younger brother Dries at Silverstone - are now fifteen behind Bell. So competitive is the series that it would be unwise to allow the deficit to grow any further.
Elsewhere, Michal Broniszewski is the runaway Pro-Am Cup leader after winning all three rounds thus far. The Kessel Racing driver is joined by Italian duo Bonacini/Rizzoli at Silverstone, but they will have a hard time repeating their Monza victory. Some teams that were a bit unfortunate around Italy's Temple of Speed will certainly be eager to considerably improve their points tally.
Plenty of British teams in the Pro-Am Cup will want to shine as well. Barwell Motorsport (Lamborghini Huracan), Team Parker Racing (Bentley Continental) and Nissan GT Academy Team RJN are aiming for podium finishes, while you can also count on the Motorbase-run but Oman Racing Team-entered Aston Martin to confirm its strong showing in Monza.
In Am Cup championship leaders Claudio Sdanewitsch and Stéphane Lemeret will be absent from Silverstone, leaving it to the Endurance Cup regulars to fight for the silverware. Even though six of the nine entered cars are Ferraris, the #87 AKKA ASP Mercedes-AMG of Vannelet, Beaubelique and Ricci showed in Monza that strength in numbers does not always guarantee victory. The crowd favourite will certainly be the #30 Team Parker Racing Bentley, with Top Gear star Chris Harris among its drivers.
Maxi Buhk (#86 HTP Motorsport Mercedes-AMG): "Brands Hatch did not give us the result we had hoped for, but it will not change the way we tackle Silverstone. We were just unfortunate at Brands, that is all. We have been performing well the whole season, and that has not changed. Judging by what I saw of the other cars during my stint, I think we have found a very good race set-up for the car."
Steven Kane (#7 Bentley Team M-Sport Continental): "Silverstone is always special for us. At our home race expectations are high, especially since our first win two years ago. But I like that a lot; it is what racing is about. From what I saw and felt around the back of Brands Hatch’s Grand Prix circuit - which has a lot of high-speed sections, just like Silverstone - our Continental GT3 should be good at Silverstone. I am very much looking forward to next weekend."
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Provisional Entry list
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Provisional Timetable
Saturday 14 May
09:00 - 10:00 Bronze Test
10:55 - 12:25 Free Practice
16:30 - 18:00 Pre-Qualifying Session
Sunday 15 May
09:00 - 10:00 Qualifying (live TV)
15:00 – 18:00 Race (live TV)
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Information & tickets : http://www.blancpain-gt-series.com/tickets
Press Images : www.blancpain-GT-series/pressmembers
Watch live : http://www.blancpain-gt-series.com/live
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Blancpain - Innovation is our Tradition
Founded in 1735 by Jehan-Jacques Blancpain, the watch brand bearing his name is the oldest in the world. Blancpain is currently engaged to the renewal of mechanical watchmaking and to passing on exceptional expertise from one generation to the next through constant investment in human resources, production facilities and research. This approach is its strength and the expression of our long-term vision, even though it goes against the tide of a certain tendency to seek immediate profit. From the creation of components through to watch design, Blancpain is distinguished by its ability to develop exceptional movements. Over the past ten years, the Manufacture has indeed developed no less than 35 new calibres.
Through its various models, Blancpain preserves its heritage of precision and elegance, while also displaying an innovative and occasionally provocative spirit. Its range encompasses the sportive L-evolution line, the legendary Fifty Fathoms diver’s watch, as well as the classic Villeret collection, the high complication from Le Brassus collection and the Women models.
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Pirelli – Official Tyre Supplier
Pirelli is a tyre manufacturer and world leader in the automotive industry. It has an exclusive relationship with over 50 racing series worldwide, including Formula One.
Pirelli has a long and illustrious history in endurance racing, and has also claimed a huge variety of class wins in GT racing all over the world. The design of the new Pirelli GT tyres meets the needs of GT racing while maintaining the performance characteristics that endurance drivers have appreciated in the past.The slick tyres used for GT racing are branded Zero: just like the slicks that have become a central feature of Formula One. The name P Zero is used in the highest categories of motorsport such as GT racing.
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SRO Motorsports Group - The architect of modern GT Racing
SRO Motorsports Group was founded by Stephane Ratel and has specialised in the promotion, support and organisation of many national and international motorsport series since 1995.
In 2016, SRO Motorsports Group promotes several championships and series, such as the Blancpain GT Series, including the iconic Total 24 hours of Spa, the British GT Championship, the Blancpain Sports Club with the Blancpain GT Sports Club and the Blancpain Ultracar Sports Club, the Competition 102 GT4 European Series and the Intercontinental GT Challenge.
SRO Motorsports Group runs also the SRO Race Centre by MMC - a high-level technical centre at the Paul Ricard Circuit in the south of France - and Curbstone, that provides ultimate track driving opportunities on world renowned race circuits in Western Europe for supercar owners, as well as test driving facilities for race car drivers.
SRO has offices in London, Paris and Liège.
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