New Ginetta series to support BTCC at one round in 2021
The new Ginetta GT Academy series is set to appear alongside the British Touring Car Championship for one of its events next season, as 11 cars have already been sold.
The series was unveiled last month and is designed to replace the Ginetta Racing Drivers Club division as the entry point
into racing with the manufacturer and features a modified version of the G55 car.
The GRDC category has shared a grid with the G40 Cup this season but the GT Academy is due to be a standalone competition, while the G40 Cup will again pair up with the GT5 Challenge in 2021.
“The plan is the GT Academy will have five events – four with British GT and one with touring cars,” explained Ginetta motorsport manager Ash Gallagher.
“We’ve already sold 11 in the first month so we’re pretty confident we will have a good grid. We’ve got a big pool of customers who have raced with us in the past and some of those are interested in it.
“Everyone who has driven the car has really raved about it. It’s quite driver friendly – although it looks like the GT4 Supercup car, it has a lot less power and is on road tyres. It’s a car you can learn in as it’s not as big a jump [from the G40 used in the GRDC series] as you think.”
Former Ginetta racer and Olympic cycling legend Sir Chris Hoy is among those to have sampled the GT Academy machine, which has a 3.7-litre engine that produces 270bhp.
He said: “I was really impressed with the new car. I’ve been very lucky to have raced and tested lots of cars on circuit and found the GTA both exciting and instantly approachable – the perfect entry point for aspiring racers or trackday drivers in a fit for purpose car.’’
Ginetta has also reported strong interest in its annual Junior scholarship contest, despite the coronavirus pandemic. The Blyton Park shootout has been pushed back from its traditional October halfterm date to late November, after the season is completed, and Gallagher says it is already three-quarters full.