September 03, 2012
The Silverstone Grand Prix circuit is the next stop for the British GT contenders for the sixth round of the seven-event race calendar.
United Autosports head into the 3-hour race on Sunday (9 September) looking for a return to the top spot of the podium. The championship may be in the final stages but the objective for the team is without question: victory when the chequered flag falls on Sunday afternoon.
A dominant win last time at Snetterton, which saw the team take the first win for the McLaren MP4-12C GT3 on a UK circuit, bodes well for the penultimate event of the 2012 season and reinforces United Autosports commitment in the development programme they set ahead of 2013.
Ahead of the 3-hour race, the team has conducted several days of testing to fine tune the McLaren and collect valuable data ahead of Silverstone.
With two, one-hour practice sessions and qualifying on the 3.667 mile Grand Prix circuit on Saturday the pressure will be on Matt and Charles to be in a position to challenge the competition in the longest event of the year in the British GT Championship.
Matt Bell (UK), Age 22. Born: Newcastle-upon-Tyne, UK. Lives Barningham, UK
"I am really looking forward to Silverstone. The test we did last week was very productive so that was a big confidence boost for myself and the team. I like racing at Silverstone, it's a great driver circuit and it suits the characteristics of the McLaren so I am expecting to be very competitive".
Charles Bateman (UK), Age 24. Born: Boston, Lincs UK. Lives: Boston, Lincs, UK
"I'm looking forward to getting back behind the wheel of the McLaren for the longer race at Silverstone. We can now competewith the rest of the field so we stand a high chance of taking a good result. With only two rounds left we want to end on a high, so that means winning one or both of the remaining rounds".
Richard Dean (UK), Team Owner and Managing Director of United Autosports
"We love the three-hour races in BGT and racing on the Grand Prix circuit at Silverstone is a great experience. Our win last time out at Snetterton finally delivered the result the drivers deserved. We will race the McLaren MP4 12C again at Silverstone for the thee hour-race where we hope our team can play a significant part in the pits stops to help deliveranother win".
About Silverstone
The spiritual home of British motorsport, Silverstone first hosted the British Grand Prix in 1948. The circuit is a favourite among drivers for its blend of medium and high-speed corners – most notably Copse Corner, Maggots and Becketts – a very challenging sequence.
Saturday:
09.10/10.10 Free Practice 1
11.50/12.50 Free Practice 2
16.35/17.20 Qualifying
Sunday:
09.00/09.10 Warm Up
11.40/14.40 Three-Hour Race
The Silverstone 3 Hour British GT race will be shown on the following channels:
Channel 4 on Saturday 22/09/12 at 7.00 am repeated on Wednesday 26/09/12 in the earlyhours of the morning. www.channel4.com/tv-listings
Motors TV UK on Saturday 22/09/12 at 17.21
British GT Championship
Silverstone, Northamptonshire:
26 May 2013
