CENTURY TO RUN NEW BMW M6 GT3
Mitchell and Willmott team up for 2019
Century Motorsport will return to the top class of British GT with a new BMW M6 GT3 driven by reigning GT4 champion Jack Mitchell and Adrian Willmott in 2019.
It will be the first time an M6 has raced in a domestic UK championship since its introduction in 2016 and comes after an Evo update at the start of the year designed to make the car more userfriendly for amateur drivers.
Century team boss Nathan Freke told
MN that his outfit was well-prepared for the challenge after an abortive effort to run two GT3 Ginetta G55s in 2017 and that the return to the top class would not “upset” its existing two-car GT4 set-up.
“While it sounds like a huge step for us, actually 90 per cent of the infrastructure is already there within the team to do this,” he said.
“The M6 makes sense because we’ve got a great relationship with BMW Motorsport and it dovetails nicely into the GT4 programme.
“It’s a very aero-oriented car and when you break down the British GT calendar, Donington, Silverstone, Spa and Brands GP are all very high-speed circuits where I think the M6 is going to excel. BMW have a wealth of experience with this car, we’ll have a lot of support from them and hopefully it will hit the ground running.”
On his return to GT3 after a part-season in the Macmillan Motorsport Aston Martin V12 Vantage last year, Mitchell is targeting regular podiums alongside 1985 Tourist Trophy British Formula Ford 1600 champion and 2002 Formula Palmer Audi champion Willmott, who last raced in British GT in 2011 and has recently driven historics.
“Looking at his previous race experience, he’s definitely got the potential to be really quick,” said Mitchell. “Hopefully we get the results that we’re looking for.”
Mitchell will return to race the team’s BMW M4 GT4 at the Dubai 24 Hours in January alongside Willmott, British GT race winner Mark Farmer and LMP3 Cup racer Dominic Paul.
MN understands three spaces remain open in Century’s GT4S for next year.