British GT pair Adam and Mitchell looking for August green light

The British GT Championship has produced a nine-race calendar for six UK-based events in a hoped-for 2020 campaign to run from August.

Four events postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic have been rescheduled and the year’s total time of 15 hours racing will be condensed into five sprint and four endurance races.

The flag had been set to drop on the traditional Oulton Park championship opener on Easter weekend before the pandemic struck, stalling a packed entry list including four-time title winner and defending champion, Fifer Jonny Adam.

Aston Martin factory driver Adam and Lamborghini Squadra Corse junior Sandy Mitchell, from Forfar, now have their sights set on Oulton in Cheshire for two sprint openers on August 1/2.

Brands Hatch, Snetterton, Silverstone and two visits to Donington Park will complete the programme, scheduled to reach its finale on November 7/8.

Racers Adam and Mitchell have both turned to the burgeoning sport of sim racing which has spawned a host of international championships during Covid-19 lockdown.

Le Mans GTE Pro winner Adam, 35, and Spa 24 Hour class winner Mitchell, 20, both participated in this week’s inaugural British Racing Drivers’ Club Esport championship round at Silverstone, part of a five-race programme featuring Britain’s best motorsport talent.

The championship is raising money for NHS charities, with locked-down racing drivers having already contributed tens of thousands of pounds by putting in the miles in a half-marathon challenge.

The sport has attracted the world’s best young gamers keen to pit their skills in a unique opportunity against Formula One stars such as Sebastian Vettel, Charles Leclerc, Lando Norris and Max Verstappen, as well as motorsport legends including Emerson Fittipaldi, Jenson Button, and Dario Franchitti.

● Two Formula One grands prix will be staged at Silverstone this summer, subject to government approval.

The first 10 races have been postponed or cancelled because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Austria is set to host the opening race of the 2020 season in July, which had been due to start in Australia in March.