British GT Championship – Rockingham – Preview
Interestingly Poised

Rockingham, Thruxton, Spa and Brands Hatch – just the four races left, and both drivers’ title chases became clearer after Oulton Park:

GTO
Tom Herridge 136
Shane Lynch / Piers Johnson 131
Shaun Balfe / Jamie Derbyshire 113
Rob Barff 97
John Hartshorne / Graeme Mundy 88
Ricky Cole / Peter Le Bas 68
Steven Brady / Aaron Scott 63
Gareth Evans / Steve Hyde 62
Martin Short 59.

Cup
Pat Pearce / Matt Griffin 165
Neil Cunningham 122
Alun Edwards / Jeff Wyatt 85
Rob Wells / Keith Ahlers and Hector Lester 82
Walter Colacino / Michelangelo Segatori 63
Steve Wood / Stuart Scott 56
Keith Robinson 55
Nick Staveley 52.
Martin Short’s job is simple – keep on getting the car home, in the points. Except that his man Tom Herridge has the Eclipse pair breathing down his neck, so that policy will only work if the #69 TVR has a retirement or two – which it hasn’t done yet (well, one late on, but it still scored well at Castle Combe).

And then there’s the Balfe Motorsport Mosler: Shaun and Jamie Derbyshire will need to end the season as they began, with a string of wins – and still hope that either the TVR or the other Mosler don’t keep coming second (with the four points for fastest laps perhaps a factor in the final outcome.)

Interesting, isn’t it? Colin Blower makes the short trip from Hinckley for the first outing of the year with his Ultima, and no doubt Shane Lynch will relish the prospect of racing another serious contender.

Which brings us to the Master Motorsport Ultima: Steven Brady and Aaron Scott put up a storming performance at Oulton Park, and their new found form should continue.

There’s a newcomer in the Cup Class, the Virgo Motorsport Ferrari 360 for Irishman Jim McWhirter and Martin Sims. "We've always had ambitions to run in GT and this is a toe-in-the-water exercise," says team boss Chris Warne. "It may lead to a fuller campaign next year."

Let’s hope so. Patrick Pearce and Matt Griffin are likely to continue their winning ways at Rockingham, unless the banked and infield track particularly suits the Morgans. The Clio V6 is back, and this should be the quick one.

Nineteen cars are expected for Rockingham, over 75 minutes. They’re all this length now, apart from the 1000Kms at Spa. With SEAT giving tickets away, there should be a good crowd.

Will fuel be an issue for some, over 75 minutes of mixed flat out and stop / start?