Post matching 'G56 GT4 SuperCup'
After three seasons of the Ginetta G50 Cup from 2008 to 2010, the introduction of the Ginetta G55 model led to an evolution for the championship. The rebranded GT4 SuperCup took up its position on the BTCC support bill and has provided thrilling racing there ever since.
In the ten seasons of the GT4 SuperCup so far, there have been no less than 246 races contested by a total of 184 drivers. From those, 38 have taken overall race wins, 59 have finished in the top three, 28 have taken a pole positon and 17 have tasted title success, whether overall or class honours.
Let’s go back to the start and the first ever race, which was won by Tom Sharp under glorious sunshine at Brands Hatch. That kicked off a run of six consecutive race wins for him, which remains a championship record to this day. In fact, only three other drivers since have taken three or more wins in a row.
The inaugural champion however was Adam Morgan, who secured the honours in a tense season finale. His prize was a funded drive in the BTCC, where he has remained ever since and currently races against two other former GT4 SuperCup champions.
After finishing runner-up to Morgan that season, Carl Breeze secured championship glory in 2012 after edging out Sharp in an exciting duel for the title. Remarkably, Breeze would finish in the top three of Ginetta championships for seven consecutive seasons from 2009 to 2015.
It’s that incredible run of front-running performances from Breeze that secures him a number of GT4 SuperCup records. His tallies of race wins (29), podium finishes (82), pole positions (10) and fastest laps (23) are unmatched and may never be beaten.
Succeeding him to the crown was Tom Ingram, who became the only driver ever to win both the G50 and G55 class titles in the championship. One of the key aspects to his 2013 success was incredible consistency, with a series record run of 22 consecutive podium finishes.
A year later and it was current Ginetta factory driver Charlie Robertson on top, joining Ingram as the only drivers to have won both the Junior and GT4 SuperCup title. He was the king of qualifying that year, with six pole positions in a single season being the most in series history.
The driver to beat in 2015 was Tom Oliphant, who impressively finished every race bar one inside the top four. The following season saw one of the closest fought title battles in series history meanwhile, with Tom Wrigley edging out Will Burns in the final race of the year.
The 2017 champion was Callum Pointon, who won the title with only two race wins; the least by any champion in the series. His successor to the crown was Charlie Ladell, who was the latest of six champions to have recorded 20 or more podium finishes in their title-winning campaigns.
2019’s honours went the way of Harry King; one of the brightest young talents in UK motorsport currently, who rose through Juniors en-route to GT4 SuperCup success. One of his chief title rivals was Burns, who went on to win the 2020 crown after twice finishing up vice-champion previously.
Arguably the most successful driver in GT4 SuperCup history is Colin White. A stalwart presence for almost the entire last decade, the three-time class champion (2015 and 2016 Am, 2020 Pro Am) has an incredible tally of 60 class wins and 112 podiums.
Impressively, White has made 206 (84%) race starts in the series, more than any other driver. Only two behind is Reece Somerfield, while only four others have reached the century mark; Carl Breeze, Will Burns, Jamie Orton and Carl Boardley. With 96 starts so far, Tom Hibbert should be next.
The GT4 SuperCup started in 2011 with a two-class format, as the G50 model continued for three more years. The Am class was introduced in 2015 aimed at bringing gentlemen drivers into the series, while Pro Am came in last year to bridge the gap between the existing categories.
Sean Huyton has the honour of being the final ever Ginetta G50 champion, following in the footsteps of Ingram and Mark Davies, whilst Jac Constable, Michael Crees and Nathan Heathcote join White on the roll call of Am class victors.
Some of the other drivers to progress through the series into top level tin-top and GT racing include BTCC race-winners Jake Hill and Ollie Jackson, FIA WEC class podium-finisher Andrew Watson and VLN overall race-winner David Pittard.
The championship has welcomed drivers from around the world over the years meanwhile. Outside of the United Kingdom and Ireland, ten other countries have been represented; Australia, France, Japan, Norway, Portugal, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and Russia.
Alongside the drivers, over the past decade some of the leading teams in UK motorsport having competed in the championship. 22 of them have guided drivers to race victories, while four more have seen their drivers take to the overall podium.
The most successful teams in the series are Rob Boston Racing and Century Motorsport. RBR has more overall race wins (42), pole positions (16) and fastest laps (47) than anyone else, while Century just beat them in a race to become the first team to 100 outright podiums, now leading 112 to 106.
The good news is that as it celebrates its 10th anniversary, the Millers Oils GT4 SuperCup shows no signs of slowing down and heads into its second decade firmly remaining as one of the best proving grounds in the UK for the tin-top and GT racing stars of the future.
The 2021 championship begins next weekend (12/13 June) at Snetterton in Norfolk alongside the BTCC. The upcoming season will be contested across 8 events and 23 races, with live television coverage on ITV4 at each race meeting.
Drivers interested in competing in Ginetta’s flagship championship should get in contact with Ginetta Motorsport Manager, Ashley Gallagher: ashley.gallagher@ginetta.com and 0113 385 4144.
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