There will be a new race series on the calendar for 2014 at Brands Hatch with the Blancpain Sprint Series coming to the Kent circuit.
The series for GT cars will be racing around the Grand Prix series over the weekend of 17th and 18th May with two one hour races on the Sunday.
The series, previously promoted as FIA GT, has this season featured entries representing Ferrari, McLaren, Lamborghini, BMW, Mercedes, Nissan, Audi and Corvette. Drivers have included former Grand Prix racers Ricardo Zonta and Karun Chandhok and World Rally legend Sebastien Loeb, who has raced with his own team. Loeb claimed a maiden win in the series at Navarra in September.
Encouraged by the outstanding success of the Blancpain Endurance Series, world-renowned Swiss watch maker Blancpain have announced the extension of their partnership to include the Sprint Series, which will be run over seven events in 2014:
18-21 April – Coupes de Pâques, Nogaro, France
17-18 May – Brands Hatch, Great Britain
4-6 July – Zandvoort, the Netherlands
22-24 August – Slovakia Ring, Slovakia*
5-7 September – Algarve, Portugal
27-28 September or 4-5 October – Navarra, Spain
1-2 November – Baku World Challenge, Azerbaijan**
* pending circuit homologation
** pending promoter agreement
The Series will distribute one of the most generous prize funds in European racing, with 100,000 Euros available at each event. Particular emphasis will be placed on the promotion of future talents, with a significant part of the fund allocated to pairs of young drivers. Marc A. Hayek, President and CEO of Blancpain, will compete in all 2014 rounds of the Sprint Series with his team-mate Peter Kox.
Jonathan Palmer, Chief Executive of MSV, said: “I’m delighted to welcome the Blancpain Sprint Series to Brands Hatch, which of course has a rich history of sportscar racing. I’m certain that the drivers will relish the challenge that the Grand Prix circuit provides, and the sight of a huge field of international GTs taking to the track will make for a stunning spectacle next May!”
Stephane Ratel, founder and CEO of SRO Motorsports Group, said: “Although SRO Motorsports Group is a frequent visitor to Brands Hatch, with annual rounds of the British F3 and GT Championships, I am really delighted that we will be bringing our international GT competition back to the circuit for the first time since the BPR Global Endurance series back in 1996. I am sure that the sprint format is perfectly adapted to this challenging track, and that it will provide two thrilling races for the numerous crowds at the popular circuit.”
Tickets for the Blancpain GT Sprint Series at Brands Hatch on 17/18 May 2014 will go on sale soon at www.brandshatch.co.uk.