Britcar GT, Snetterton - Preview 
Can Anyone Stop The Witt 'n' Keith Show?

The Britcar heads back to Snetterton this Saturday, for a longer-than-usual four hour race, with little prospect of the championship-leading MJC juggernaut being halted.

The Witt ’n’ Keith show has swept the board at all four rounds so far this season; they’ve had their problems, but they have been confined to free practice or qualifying, and, with the McInerney’s Eclipse Mosler yet to re-appear, the only Class 1 competition comes from Steve Brady’s Ultima, and Tim Hood’s TVR Sagaris, both of which have suffered from component failure in just about every race. Expect this pair to be at the front during the early stages, though – and probably vying for the overall lead whilst Witt bides his time in the Ferrari 430. Also joining the top class, as an invitation entry, is Nigel Mustill’s new Aquila, with Phil Bennett on board. A fire in free practice put paid to their weekend at Combe, so this is still an unknown quantity.

Aaron Scott had a nightmare weekend at Combe – the Class 2 JMH Ferrari 430 was pushed off of pole-position after it failed to fire-up, and later mystery handling problems meant that Aaron couldn’t hand the car to Arwyn Williams in a good position. Back, no doubt, with a vengeance, Scott has the capability to upset the Class 1 runners, but, being just a tad thirstier than the MJC machine, may need an additional fuel stop. That could leave the door open for classmates Neil Huggins and Raphael Fiorentino, in the 7-litre Topcats Marcos – long-time leaders at Combe, remember – and the ever-improving TVR Sagaris of Steve Glynn/Sam Head. The invitation entries here, though, could be a significant factor; The Jones cousins (Morgan, Philip and Gareth, variously the sons of reigning BGT champions Godfrey and David) also go well at Snetterton, in the Eurotech-run Porsche 997, but the real surprise could come from the ABG Motorsport 996 RSR of Jim and Glynn Geddie. Recent BGT double winner Glynn has come a long way in short time, first venturing into Britcar two years ago whilst still dabbling in Scottish Mini championship, and now a front runner in the Carrera Cup.

The popular Spanish duo of Javier Morcillo and Manuel Cintrano also had a disastrous Combe weekend, losing a wheel from the normally bullet-proof Neil Garner-run Porsche 996, so they will be looking to steal Class 3 honours from the Topcats Marcos pairing of Owen O’Neill and Jon Harrison, whilst keeping an eye on the little Orbital Sound Lotus Elise. Chris Headlam knew nothing of Castle Combe when he pitched up there last month, so didn’t know where to be afraid, or where to be brave – he just went for it big time, allegedly feeling comfortable, and putting in a sensational performance, sustained by the talented Jamie Stanley, the latest, surely, in an elite band of driver coach/partners, such as Greensall, Lockie, and Scott.  Robert Day and Paul Phipps were over the moon with their recently-acquired BMW M3 at Combe, and will be fighting hard for a class podium this time out.

There’s a whole raft of invites in Class 3, too; let’s start with the Ferraris – Rob Barff partners Mark McAllistair in a FF Corse 430 Challenge, with a similar machine for trackday specialist Paul Bailey and erstwhile Britsports race winner Andy Schulz. There are Ginetta G50s for Ian Stinton/Paul Marsh/Neil Clark (Stark Racing), and Piers Johnson (Speedworks), whilst George Agyeton returns in his BMW M3, partnered by BTCC pilot Steven Kane.

Eighteen cars – not bad in this economic climate – but the grid will be boosted by a similar number of Production championship runners, who will get the green lights with the GT contingent, but be hauled in by the waving of a Britcar flag after two hours, since a four hour race was never on their agenda, and many are just not engineered for that duration.

The Production chase could fall many ways, but significant here is the return of the Eurotech Ford Mustang, driven by Mike Jordan, Steve Wood, and, perhaps, Stuart Scott.

Steve Wood