The British GT Championship will switch tyre suppliers from Avon to Pirelli at the start of 2016, series promoter SRO Motorsports Group has announced.
The move brings one of the world’s most successful domestic GT categories in line with SRO’s continental GT3 platforms, the Blancpain Endurance Series and Blancpain Sprint Series, which have both also agreed to extend their exclusive supply deal with the Italian firm.
The move also brings to an end Avon Tyres and British GT’s long-running and successful partnership. Avon has been the championship’s sole supplier and title sponsor since 2006 but can trace its involvement back much further than that to the 1994 season.
Avon Tyres will continue as the championship’s title sponsor until the end of 2015.
“We are very excited to welcome Pirelli in 2016 as British GT’s official tyre partner for the next five years,” explained British GT championship manager Benjamin Franassovici. ” The new partnership with British GT is part of a global plan for SRO and our platforms. Bringing our cars in line with the Blancpain GT Series is a perfect evolution. Using the same rubber also further enhances our recognised BoP in GT3 and GT4.
“The 2016 British GT calendar will be released soon, while I can also confirm that we’ve already received team commitments in both classes.
“Finally, I would like to thank Avon Tyres for their dedication and professional cooperation over the last ten years in British GT.”
“Supplying the British GT Championship is very important for Pirelli as it represents perfectly our target market: premium and prestige manufacturers,” added Paul Hembery, Pirelli’s motorsport director. “The tires that we supply for these cars on the road are made to measure for each model, using many of the same design processes and production techniques as are utilised in motorsport. As a result, there is a direct technology transfer between GT racing and the road. This is why Pirelli has been chosen as original equipment by the vast majority of supercar manufacturers, with around 85% of our homologations now being for premium and prestige vehicles.”
