Great and British at Snetteton

25 March 2006

A new initiative in British motor racing starts at Snetterton over the weekend of 1/2 April as the first of the 'Dunlop Great and British Festivals' brings an excellent 13-race line-up to the Norfolk track.

Organised by the British Automobile Racing Club, the new package of race meetings is being supported by Dunlop in a move created to bring fans closer to the racing and encourage newcomers to take a look at the sport in a relaxed environment. The race line-up comprises some of the best national categories, all of them using Dunlop racing tyres. Amongst the innovations planned is a pitlane and grid walkabout for members of the public, which will start at 1.10pm. With adult admission at just £12 for 12 races on Sunday, the 'Great and British' event will be a fine start to the car racing season at Snetterton.

Providing five of the weekend's races will be the fabulous Radical sports-racing cars, one of the core categories in 'Great and British'. Top of the Radical racing ladder are the mighty 2.6-litre V8-engined SR8s that will set the pace in the opening two rounds of the Dunlop Radical Enduro Championship. The astonishing speed of these purpose-built sports-racers will be a highlight of the weekend, with a pair of 40-minute races and optional driver changes. Leading entries are from Phil Quaife, Austin Reynolds/Nick Padmore and Chris Milner, who has enlisted the driving talent of former BTCC racer Eugene O'Brien to share his SR8. Almost as quick, but running in their own class within the races, will be the Radical SR3s, where Lee Atkins, Ross Edwards/Jonathan Cook and Norwich pairing Mark Sutterby/Paul Thomas are the ones to watch.

One of the biggest draws for fans will be the opening two rounds of the Mini Challenge, the UK race series for the new-shape Mini Cooper. The 31-car entry is split down the middle between the Club Class cars and the more powerful S Class cars and it is reigning champion Arthur Forster who heads the field in his Cooper S. Running alongside Forster, and likely to be a real darkhorse, is series newcomer Simon Baker, who is returning to racing after a break of several seasons. Meanwhile, dread-locked student David Shepherd moves up to the S Class and joins teenager Freddy Nordstrom among the young pretenders.

The old style Mini still delivers some of the best racing in Britain and the opening races for the Dunlop Mini Miglia and Dunlop Mini Se7en Challenges will be highlights. Kelly Rogers and Bill Sollis head the field in the 1300cc Miglias, as Norwich racer Tony Le-May joins the series. In the 1000cc Se7ens, a capacity field includes a gaggle of East Anglian racers including Andy Burge (Watton), Kane Astin (Cambridge) and Andy Miller (Norwich), who are out to topple defending champion Paul Thompson.

More Radical action comes in two 20-minute races for the Dunlop Radical Biduro Championship, which is solely for the 1200cc motorbike-powered SR4s. Malcolm Barnett (Norwich), Chris Stoney and Daniel McKenzie are among the leading entries. On Saturday afternoon, meanwhile, is the opening round of the Matador Powertec Radical Challenge for the older Radical models. Wrapping up the programme are races for the York Fitness Post Historic Touring Car and the IBIS Packaging Solutions Classic Group 1 Touring Car Championships, along with two races for the PlayStation2 Ginetta GT Junior Championship. Henry Surtees, son of former world champion John, is among the youngster tackling the Ginetta series for 14-16 year olds.

On Saturday, qualifying starts at 9am, with one race at 5pm. On Sunday, the first of 12 races starts at 9.10am.

Admission is £12, accompanied children free, stands, paddock and parking free.

See 2006 series calendar for Great and British Festivals

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