Sports Prototype Cup ready for international debut at Spa
10th August 2020
International debut at prestigious World Championship event
Quality field of Revolution A-Ones to share grid with Britcar
Two 60-minute pit stop races on the cards
Sports Prototype Cup makes its international debut at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps this weekend as a support race to the prestigious FIA World Endurance Championship, the highest level of sportscar endurance racing. A pair of one-hour races are on the cards for the fast-growing UK-based race series.
This weekend’s races will be the first rounds of the Sports Prototype Cup held outside the UK, but their position on the support bill to an FIA World Championship show the Cup’s success in its short lifespan so far, and a taste of what’s to come.
While Sports Prototype Cup usually consists of three classes, the BARC Radical SR3 Trophy and Sports Prototype Open classes won’t be in action at Spa. Instead, the Revolution Trophy will take centre stage on a shared grid with the Britcar Dunlop Endurance Championship.
This will create a fascinating mixed grid spectacle with the 440 hp/tonne Revolution A-One prototypes going wheel-to-wheel with Britcar’s eclectic grid of GT and touring car machinery. Each race will last one hour, with a mandatory pit stop in the middle, thus further increasing the intrigue and excitement.
After a number of trial events in 2019, Sports Prototype Cup’s first full season kicked off with a bang less than two weeks ago with a pair of races at Brands Hatch. Alex Kapadia and Scott Mansell each took a race win in the Revolution Trophy class, while Peter Tyler claimed both Sports Prototype Open wins with his Radical SR3.
Revolution Race Cars and Sports Prototype Cup promoter PitBox91 are working closely together to get as many of the 12 Revolution A-Ones that raced at Brands Hatch back on the grid for this weekend’s race, in spite of the challenging period with COVID-19 travel restrictions and self-isolation measures preventing some drivers and teams from travelling.
Strict procedures have been implemented by WEC, Britcar and Motorsport UK to allow drivers and teams to compete as safely as possible at Spa, including the mandatory wearing of face masks at all times at the track, and the implementation of social distancing ‘bubbles’.
The entry list has a number of new faces since Brands Hatch, but many of the standout stars from the first couple of races are back in action, including Scott Mansell, Alex Kapadia, Morten Dons, James Winslow, Nigel Greensall, Marcello Marateotto and James Abbott. Dominik Dierkes will share his car with Dutch F1 commentator Rob Kamphues.
Other new drivers include Michel Frey and Alain Costa. Further changes to the entry list are possible due to quarantine measures in Belgium, the UK and elsewhere, but PitBox91 and Revolution Race Cars are confident of putting on a good show with a quality grid.
After Spa-Francorchamps, all three Sports Prototype Cup classes will be back in action at Snetterton on 19 September, where the Sports Prototype Open category will also run without a capped lap time, further opening the field to an array of prototype race cars. After that, the season will conclude at Le Castellet on 6-7 November for a second international race event.
Timetable
Warm-up - Thursday, 15:45 - 16:05
Qualifying - Friday, 12:15 - 12:45
Race 1 - Friday, 16:30 - 17:30
Race 2 - Saturday, 11:45 - 12:45
For more information, contact Sports Prototype Cup promoter James Bailey on james.bailey@pitbox91.com / +44 (0) 790 4114 414.