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<body> <Table Width="550" border="0" style="border-collapse: collapse" cellpadding="0"><TR><TD Width="35"><IMG SRC="//www.totalmotorsport.com/images/spacer.gif" WIDTH="35" HEIGHT="1"></td><td> <CENTER><Table border="0" width="100%"> <TR><TD width="100%" align="center"><B><FONT FACE="Tahoma" SIZE="5">PRIVILEGE INSURANCE BRITISH GT CHAMPIONSHIP</FONT></B></TD></TR> <TR><TD width="100%" align="left"><B><FONT FACE="Tahoma" SIZE="2">14/06/2001</FONT></B></TD></TR> <TR><TD width="100%" align="center"><B><FONT FACE="Tahoma" SIZE="4">Privilege Testing</FONT></B></TD></TR> <TR><TD width="100%" align="center"><B><FONT FACE="Tahoma" SIZE="3">At Castle Combe</FONT></B></TD></TR> <TR><TD width="100%" align="center"><FONT FACE="Tahoma" SIZE="1">  </FONT></TD></TR> <TR><TD width="100%" align="left"><FONT FACE="Tahoma" SIZE="2">Paul Lawrence provides the testing news from the Privilege Championship's first visit to Castle Combe. 160 mph........ <BR> <BR> Four days after their victory at Rockingham, Bobby Verdon-Roe and Michael Caine topped the times in pre-race testing ahead of the seventh round of the Privilege Insurance British GT Championship at Castle Combe today (Thursday 14 June). The PowerTour event over the weekend of 23 / 24 June will be the biggest event at the circuit for more than 40 years!<BR> <BR> The TVR Cerbera Speed 12 set the pace as the British GT Championship prepared for its debut at the Wiltshire track. Both Caine and Verdon-Roe know the track well from their TVR Tuscan racing, and Verdon-Roe topped the times with a lap at an average of more than 105mph. The leading cars were approaching 160mph as they crested Avon Rise before braking for Quarry Corner!<BR> <BR> "The car is good. It's a bit easier to drive round here than a Tuscan," said Caine. Having set the best time of the day, Verdon-Roe dashed to the airport to head to Marrakech on holiday. <BR> <BR> Second fastest was the Lister Storm as Jamie Campbell-Walter shared the test day with the car's regular pilot Mike Jordan. With David Warnock away at Le Mans, JC-W and Jordan worked through a range of changes to the car. "It has been immensely useful having Jamie here today," said Jordan. "We've made some radical changes to the car," he added. Despite lapping within a tenth of a second of the TVR, the stiffly sprung Lister was having an exciting time over the bumps at Castle Combe.<BR> <BR> With the Hayles Racing team missing the test with the Tim Harvey/Rob Wilson Chrysler Viper, third fastest was the leading GTO car in the form of the Marino Franchitti / Kelvin Burt Porsche 911GT3RS.<BR> <BR> "I've never even spectated here before," said Franchitti, before going out and setting the top GTO time. "It's very challenging," he added of the Wiltshire track. Close behind the Franchitti / Burt car was the second Parr Motorsport Porsche of Ed Horner / Matt Turner, with Turner driving the circuit for the first time. "I like it here," said Horner. "It's pleasing that we've come forward and now we want to be quicker than Kelvin and Marino," he added.<BR> <BR> The TVR Tuscan Rs showed that they will be a force in the race by posting fifth and sixth best times. "We're happy with that," said Hyde, having run on used tyres throughout the test. "We're close to the pace of the Porsches on worn out tyres!" The Tuscan R of Martin Short / Rob Barff was next up. "This is such a difference after Rockingham, but I love it here," said Barff.<BR> <BR> The Porsches of Shaun Balfe / Mark Sumpter, David Jones / Godfrey Jones and Tim Sugden / Paul Knapfield were next up before the Lotus Esprit of Robert Ross / Matt Johnson completed the top 10. "We've got a lot more to come yet," promised Johnson after posting some encouraging times.<BR> <BR> Leading times<BR> <BR> 1 Bobby Verdon-Roe/Michael Caine (TVR Cerbera Speed 12) 1m03.331s<BR> <BR> 2 Mike Jordan/Jamie Campbell-Walter (Lister Storm) 1m03.458s<BR> <BR> 3 Kelvin Burt/Marino Franchitti (Porsche 911GT3RS) 1m06.193s<BR> <BR> 4 Matt Turner/Ed Horner (Porsche 911GT3RS) 1m06.586s<BR> <BR> 5 Richard Stanton/Steve Hyde (TVR Tuscan R) 1m06.768s<BR> <BR> 6 Martin Short/Rob Barff (TVR Tuscan R) 1m06.957s<BR> <BR> 7 Mark Sumpter/Shaun Balfe (Porsche 911GT3RS) 1m07.737s<BR> <BR> 8 David Jones/Godfrey Jones (Porsche 911GT3R) 1m09.222s<BR> <BR> 9 Tim Sugden/Paul Knapfield (Porsche 911GT3R) 1m09.824s<BR> <BR> 10 Matt Johnson/Robert Ross (Lotus Esprit) 1m09.852s<BR> <BR> </FONT></TD></TR> </TABLE><BR> </CENTER> <BR><CENTER><font size="1" color="#808080" face="Tahoma">Copyright ©2000-©2023 TotalMotorSport</font></CENTER> </td> </tr> </table> </body>