As the Avon Tyres British GT Championship builds to a momentous climax at Donington Park (5/6 Oct), so does British GT’s Blancpain Gentleman Driver Championship, the competition for ‘Bronze’ graded Gentleman GT3 drivers. This weekend (6/7/8 Sept) at Zandvoort is the penultimate round of the top national GT series and there are seven drivers in contention for the title.
In its inaugural season, the Blancpain Gentleman Driver Championship takes the form of a points championship to highlight the excellent performances amongst the Gentleman drivers competing in the series, and a weekend award for the Gentleman who has progressed over the course of the weekend.
Drivers are awarded points for their finishes and pairings of a Bronze/Bronze grading will receive 150% of the points earnt in the GT3 class; Bronze drivers paired with Silver, Gold or Platinum drivers will receive the same points as they do for their efforts in the overall points championship. At the end of the season the top driver will be awarded presented with a prize on behalf of Blancpain and series organisers, SRO Motorsports Group Ltd.
Currently Andrew Howard (Beechdean-AMR) sits on top of the Blancpain Gentleman Driver points and the overall British GT standings, but the Aston Martin driver will face stiff competition from fellow Gentleman drivers, Marco Attard (Ecurie Ecosse), Mark Patterson (United Autosports), Steve Tandy (888Optimum), Jason Minshaw (Fortec Motorsport) and David Ashburn (Trackspeed). Top Dutch Gentleman driver, Rembert Berg lies in seventh place in the Blancpain Gentleman Driver standings, 49 points adrift of Howard, but with 50 points on offer this weekend, the Team WRT racer will have opportunity to narrow the gap to his rivals.
Prestigious watch manufacturer, Blancpain is no stranger to motorsport but the partnership with British GT is the first of its kind between the Swiss company and the British race series. Founded in 1735 by Jehan-Jacques Blancpain, Blancpain has a heritage of precision and elegance while also displaying an innovative and occasionally provocative spirit.
Pos – Driver – Nat – Team – Points
1 Andrew Howard GBR Beechdean-AMR 104.5
2 Marco Attard GBR Ecurie Ecosse 97.5
3 Mark Patterson RSA United Autosports 91.5
4 Steve Tandy GBR 888Optimum 73
5 Jason Minshaw GBR Fortec Motorsports 64
6 David Ashburn SER Trackspeed 56
7 Rembert Berg NED Team WRT 55.5
8 Gregor Fisken GBR Trackspeed 38.5
9 John Dhillon GBR AF Corse 35
9 Jon Minshaw GBR Trackspeed 35
10 Gary Eastwood GBR FF Corse 31
11 Hector Lester GBR Rosso Verde 30
12 Duncan Cameron GBR AF Corse 26
13 Lee Mowle GBR 888Optimum 24
14 Phil Dryburgh GBR PGF Kinfaun-AMR 17.5
15 Mark Poole GBR Barwell Motorsport 15
16 David Jones GBR Preci-Spark 13.5
16 Godfrey Jones GBR Preci-Spark 13.5
17 Steve Wyatt AUS AF Corse 12
18 Derek Johnston GBR Mtech 9
19 Zak Brown USA United Autosports 8
20 Charles Putman USA ProSpeed Comp 6
21 Colin White GBR CWS / IDL 5.5
22 Ron Johnson GBR Barwell Motorsport 3
Source : British GT