British GT won’t lose GT3 as its top class, despite growth in GT4, says series chief Ratel

British GT boss Stephane Ratel insists the series won’t become a Gt4-only category in the future, despite its entries outweighing GT3 for this season.

Championship bosses released the 33-car entry list for this campaign, with GT4 cars outnumbering GT3 18 to 15. Among the GT4 entries are works-supported cars from Ginetta, Lotus, Aston Martin, Toyota and Mclaren ( see above).

Ratel said he was pleased with the growth in domestic GT4, but added that GT3 would always have a future in Britain.

Ratel said: “It’s satisfying that GT4 has grown and I think we just reached a critical number with it. When you have 12 cars suddenly a class becomes appealing and interest grows, especially when people see new manufacturers.

“But British GT will always have GT3. It won’t go Gt4-only, I don’t think. We are a marketdriven form of racing. Customers race what they want and what they can afford. Perhaps GT3 is becoming more international, with Blancpain and big races like the Nurburgring 24 Hours, Dubai and Adu Dhabi. GT3 is the only place now where young drivers can get manufacturer deals, and GT4 is a perfect feeder for that as it lets drivers learn at lower cost in front of manufacturers. But there will always be people who will want to race GT3 in Britain to learn before going to somewhere like Blancpain.”