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This weekend sees the 3rd Round of the British GT Championship at Croft for the GT3 cars of which 20 are entered. (Round 2 was at Spa or was it Magny-Cours(!) and was for the quicker GT2 cars only).

Our man Ahlers is away on 24 hour duty with Christian Bock at Nurburgring, which leaves young Oliver Bryant to do the two 1-hour races at Croft on his own - having seen him in action at last week's Top Hat at Donington I don't think this will cause him a problem.

The grid will include eleven Porsche GT3 Cup cars, five Ferrari 360s, two BMW Z3M Coupes, one Morgan Aero 8GT and one Marcos Mantis :-


1 6 GT3 Bigfish Racing Alastair Davidson Chris Wilson BMW Z3M Coupe
2 8 GT3 Hawthorns Motorsport Rod Barrett Jan Persson BMW Z3M Coupe
3 9 GT3 Tech 9 Piers Masarati Dimitris Deverikos Porsche 911 GT3 30 kg)
4 11 GT3 Team Aero Oliver Bryant Morgan Aero 8
5 12 GT3 Vision Marketing Phil Burton Ian Flux Ferrari 360
6 14 GT3 R&D Automotive/Innovate Osborne/Jones Porsche 911 GT3
7 15 GT3 Damax Marco Attard Nick Adams Ferrari 360
8 16 GT3 Damax Miles Hulford Jamie Smyth Ferrari 360
9 20 GT3 Trackspeed Fred Moss David Ashburn Porsche 911 GT3
10 21 GT3 United Christian Broadcasters Lester/Simonsen Ferrari 360
11 23 GT3 Motorbase Performance Britnell/Stockton Porsche 911 GT3
12 24 GT3 ABG Motorsport Colin Broster Aaron Scott Porsche 911 GT3
13 25 GT3 Trackspeed Jason Coffin Rory Fordyce Porsche 911 GT3
14 30 GT3 Team Parker Racing Rich/Westwood Porsche 911 GT3
15 31 GT3 Team Parker Racing Eastwood/Deschamps Porsche 911 GT3
16 36 GT3 Bill Barrett Motorsport Warburton/Morris Porsche 911 GT3
17 70 GT3 David Dove Racing Team David Dove TBA Ferrari 360
18 81 GT3 Team Tiger Chris Beighton Jon Finnemore Marcos Mantis
19 96 GT3 Quaife / RPM Alex Mortimer Phil Quaife Porsche 911 GT3
20 99 GT3 Eurotech Stuart Scott Steve Wood Porsche 911 GT3


The race also sees Keith's co-driver from 2004 returning to GT - Aaron Scott in car 24 Porsche 911 GT3.

I've been having trouble getting to the BritishGt website but MST gives the programme as :-

FRI 6th
FREE Practice/Testing

SAT 7th
Qualifying Race1 & Race 2 10:30 - 11:10
RACE 1 13:40 - 14:40

SUN 8th
Race 2 13:40 - 14:40

With Keith away details over the weekend may be hard to come by but I'll do my best. Or try Live Race Radio on 1602 MW and via the Internet from http://www.britishgt.com/

Good Luck to Keith/Christian & Oliver/Aaron.

Details as always courtesy of - http://www.dailysportscar.com/

British GT at http://www.britishgt.com/index.php

Have (GT & 24-hour) Fun
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News from Germany - The Bock/Ahlers Plus 8 was 130th (!) in Qualifying on Friday going round the Nurburgring in 11.00.69. There are literally hundreds of cars in this 24 Hour race, Keith tells me it takes 2-3 hours just to form up the grid !

Quote below from the http://www.Dailysportscar.Net website :-

In view of the conditions we might see during the weekend, was it worth choosing this race over British GTs, Keith Ahlers? The answer is a resounding "Yes! This is one of the greatest sportscar races in the world, and this car - the Morgan Plus 8 - is part of it", and for the seventh year running, too. The fans around the circuit love the British roadster: "it is a pity we have to have a roof this year because the spectators cheer us on and wave at us throughout the race, and now we can't wave back" - not to mention fly the Union Jack on the last lap. Team Bock Racing expects to get there without the kind of trouble it had last year; the engine woes that left the car grounded for a whole chunk of time in 2004 have been traced to faulty material.

I will try and post a picture if I can get their permission.

Good Luck guys

Have (24 Hour) Fun
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Andy, here are a couple of photos taken last year. Looks like a fabulous race, are you doing anything next May...........................

Mary Lindsay wrote:Andy, here are a couple of photos taken last year. Looks like a fabulous race, are you doing anything next May...........................

Mary - if the Bulldog Morgan is going - I'm there ! would make a fitting tribute to our friend Terry Howes.

Have Fun
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British GT CROFT - Latest news.

QUALIFYING RACE 1
1 9 GT3 Masarati/Deverikos Porsche GT3 Cup 1:25.351
2 23 GT3 Britnell/Stockton Porsche GT3 1:25.877
3 81 GT3 Beighton/Finnemore Marcus Mantis 1:26.151
4 36 GT3 Warburton/Morris Porsche 911 GT3 1:26.775
5 30 GT3 Rich/Westwood Porsche GT3 1:26.782
6 11 GT3 Oliver BRYANT Morgan Aero 8 GT 1:26.794
7 15 GT3 Attard/Adams Ferrari 360 1:26.823
8 16 GT3 Hulford/Smyth Ferrari 360 1:26.859
9 20 GT3 Ashburn/Moss Porsche 996 GTC 1:26.919
10 96 GT3 Mortimer/Quaife Porsche GT3 Cup 1:27.274

QUALIFYING RACE 2
1 9 GT3 Masarati/Deverikos Porsche GT3 Cup 1:24.775
2 21 GT3 Lester/Simonsen Ferrari 360 1:24.795
3 81 GT3 Beighton/Finnemore Marcus Mantis 1:25.636
4 11 GT3 Oliver BRYANT GBR Morgan Aero 8 GT 1:25.892
5 12 GT3 Burton/Flux Ferrari 360 C 1:26.008
6 23 GT3 Britnell/Stockton Porsche GT3 1:26.296
7 15 GT3 Attard/Adams Ferrari 360 1:26.664
8 99 GT3 Scott/Wood Porsche 996 1:26.735
9 16 GT3 Hulford/Smyth Ferrari 360 1:27.168
10 96 GT3 Mortimer/Quaife Porsche GT3 Cup 1:27.277


Good work Oliver - just look at the mixture of cars at the front of the grid, wonderful I wish I was there.

More later.

Have (GT) Fun

Sorry about the delay - have been to Loughborough overnight.

Very briefly :-

RACE 1 RESULTS - Saturday

1 9 GT3 Tech 9 Piers Masarati Dimitris Deverikos Porsche 911 GT3 (30 kg) 38 laps 1:01:29.894 78.85 mph 1.25.507
2 21 GT3 United Christian Broadcasters Hector Lester Allan Simonsen Ferrari 360 38 laps 1:01:32.991 1.27.018
3 15 GT3 Damax Marco Attard Nick Adams Ferrari 360 38 laps 1:01:49.712 1.27.593
4 12 GT3 Vision Marketing Phil Burton Ian Flux Ferrari 360 38 laps 1:01:50.411 1.27.034
5 99 GT3 Eurotech Stuart Scott Steve Wood Porsche 911 GT3 38 laps 1:01:50.982 1.28.050
6 11 GT3 Team Aero Oliver Bryant Morgan Aero 8 38 laps 1:01:55.447 1.27.233
7 20 GT3 Trackspeed Fred Moss David Ashburn Porsche 911 GT3 38 laps 1.27.105
8 36 GT3 Bill Barrett Motorsport Stephen Warburton Peter Morris Porsche 911 GT3 38 laps 1.27.375
9 23 GT3 Motorbase Performance Andy Britnell Chris Stockton Porsche 911 GT3 38 laps 1.26.030
10 24 GT3 ABG Motorsport Colin Broster Aaron Scott Porsche 911 GT3 38 laps 1.27.801

More details and today's Race Results soon.

Have Fun
8) 8) 8)

Christian Bock/Keith Ahlers at Nurburgring.

The Race started at 15:00 local time yesterday (Saturday) so there should now be some 30 minutes to go !

The Plus 8's hardtop proving beneficial as the race started in dreadful conditions with standing water on the Grid. Scant details so far but the Morgan apparently had some steering problems in the night, as at 07:30 local time was still circulating - a change from last-year's engine gremlins.

Have (Guten) Fun
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Back to Croft...

Race 1 on Saturday sounds hectic with Oliver Bryant right in the thick of it at the front. Safety Car out half way through and then the Aero was second (I think) with 2 minutes to go - then it poured (rain from Nurburgring perhaps) and Oliver ended up in 6th.

From the always excellent http://www.Dailysportscar.com :-

"Lap 31 and the five car race for second all wanted to arrive at Tower as one, Ashburn initially the aggressor, but losing out on the exit, as Bryant passed Beighton – and Simonsen passed Ashburn. This wasn’t endurance racing – this was a simple blast to the finish, and superbly entertaining. Unfortunately, the Saturday races don’t draw an audience….

Then it rained. Who was this going to suit? Nick Adams felt that “the slippery conditions really helped our car,â€

RACE 2 Result - Sunday

1 23 GT3 Britnell/Stockton Porsche GT3 1:01:10.855 37 77.18 1:34.116
2 11 GT3 Oliver BRYANT Morgan Aero 8 GT 1:01:19.367 37 8.512 77.00 1:34.725
3 16 GT3 Hulford/Smyth Ferrari 360 1:01:56.301 37 45.446 76.23 1:35.637
4 15 GT3 Attard/Adams Ferrari 360 1:01:57.094 37 46.239 76.22 1:34.276
5 30 GT3 Rich/Westwood Porsche GT3 1:02:36.228 37 1:25.373 75.42 1:33.576
6 9 GT3 Masarati/Deverikos Porsche GT3 Cup 1:02:50.042 37 1:39.187 75.14 1:34.565
7 70 GT3 Dove/Bickley Ferrari 360 1:01:16.022 36 1 LAP 74.98 1:35.499
8 24 GT3 Broster/Scott Porsche GT3 1:01:17.442 36 1 LAP 74.96 1:37.161
9 96 GT3 Mortimer/Quaife Porsche GT3 Cup 1:01:23.576 36 1 LAP 74.83 1:35.263
10 12 GT3 Burton/Flux Ferrari 360 C 1:01:40.824 36 1 LAP 74.48 1:34.360


No other details yet - Great Result Oliver, looks like the 'boss' will have to fight for his seat back !

Have (podium) Fun
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Great news Oliver...Has anybody told the Old Boy yet!!


love jack

A quick update - with "Thanks" as always to the excellent http://www.Dailysportscar.com website.

"This was looking to be a head to head early on between Piers Masarati and Allan Simonsen, these two occupying the front row for Sunday’s race. But the former had a car that was too stiff for the wet conditions, while the latter started the race on intermediate tyres. That would be the wrong choice, as it would be for Ian Flux and Steve Wood.

Oliver Bryant ended up leading most of the hour, in Keith Ahlers’ Morgan, but he didn’t lead for the last few laps – victory going to Chris Stockton and Andy Britnell, in the Motorbase Performance Porsche. Bryant was still a very good second, earning the Sunoco Driver of the Weekend award, and the Damax Ferraris were third and fourth.

Julian Westwood started from the back of the grid, and took the Parker Racing Porsche almost all the way to the front, but Martin Rich had a coming together with race winner Chris Stockton on the former’s out lap, and collected a slow puncture, dropping to fifth. Maserati and Deverikos were sixth, despite taking a chance and switching to inters at the pit stop.

At times it was very wet, notably at the start – and the day was also disrupted by a hailstorm during one of the Ginetta races. It was a funny old day, and not a good one to be a spectator on the banking."

Hats off Oliver Bryant - very Well Done indeed, fantastic result.

Have Fun (driving the other bloke's car)
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Nurburgring - No further news I'm afraid, perhaps Keith can update us next time he stops long enough to Log in ?

Have Fun
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I've just got back home. Great job from Andy on keeping the news up to date.

What a great effort at Croft by Oliver, supported by Billy and Ian. The leanest team in the Paddock.

At the Nurburgring we finished with the car running strongly. I set our fastest lap in the last our of the race. A strong engine thanks to John Eales.

Unfortunately we lost seven hours running in the night after a steering rack problem, of which more anon. We had to get a replacement from Cologne, return to the circuit, repair the car at the side off the track and then resume racing. Thanks to Christian Bock for the drive.

See you on Sunday. Keith.

Olly Leads at Croft !




It was a bit wet




All photos with the kind permission of http://www.Dailysportscar.com

Have Fun
8) 8) 8)