MSV’s new GB4 Championship will feature a superb eight event, 24 race calendar across five premier UK circuits for its inaugural season in 2022.
The championship will commence with three races at a GB4 headlined event at Snetterton on 2/3 April, before joining the prestigious British GT and GB3 package at all six of its UK rounds. This includes visits to Oulton Park (16 and 18 April), Silverstone Grand Prix (7/8 May), and the first of two trips to Donington Park on 28/29 May.
A return to Snetterton comes on 25/26 June before a GB3 supporting event on the Silverstone Grand Prix circuit. The final two events return to the British GT package, at Brands Hatch Grand Prix (10/11 September) and a season finale at Donington Park on 15/16 October.
It has also been confirmed that GB4 may accept entries from eligible 15-year-old drivers, as it runs the Tatuus F4-T014 chassis that remains FIA homologated. This puts GB4 in line with other series at this level around the world.
Drivers competing in GB4 will be racing for a £50,000 prize towards their next single seater campaign the following season.
MSV Chief Executive Jonathan Palmer commented: “We are very pleased to confirm a strong calendar for our first season of GB4. With seven of the eight events running alongside GB3 on the GB3/British GT package, there is significant scope for economies by teams running in both championships.
“GB4 will provide a genuinely accessible first step in career single seater racing with affordable budgets. It forms part of MSV’s commitment, mirrored by Motorsport UK, to drive the resurgence of the UK single-seater landscape.”
GB4 Championship - provisional 2022 calendar:
2/3 April – Snetterton 300 (GB4 headlined)
16 & 18 April – Oulton Park (British GT/GB3)
7/8 May – Silverstone GP (British GT/GB3)
28/29 May – Donington Park GP (British GT/GB3)
25/26 June – Snetterton 300 (British GT/GB3)
30/31 July – Silverstone GP (GB3)
10/11 September – Brands Hatch GP (British GT/GB3)
15/16 October – Donington Park GP (British GT/GB3)
Further information:
GB4 has been created by MotorSport Vision (MSV) to offer drivers graduating from karting, junior championships or club racing the most affordable route onto the single-seater ladder.
GB4 will act as a direct feeder series to higher open-wheel categories, running in close alignment with MSV’s already successful GB3 Championship in association with the BRDC. GB4 will run primarily on the same British GT race programme, offering teams an excellent platform from which to enter both series, with eight triple-header rounds across the UK’s leading circuits.
GB4 will also retain relationships with many of GB3’s existing partners. These include F1 tyre supplier Pirelli and control fuel provider Sunoco.
GB4 will offer drivers the chance to contest a full season of competitive single-seater racing in Britain for budgets from around £60,000 for a privateer to an anticipated £120,000 to £150,000 running with a professional team. Racing at an affordable cost opens the door for more drivers to have the opportunity to follow in the footsteps of George Russell, who started his single-seater career winning MSV’s BRDC F4 Championship in 2014 and will be teammate to Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes F1 next year.
GB4 will utilise the dominant Tatuus F4-T014 chassis, used in the Italian, German and Spanish series over the past seven years and in numerous championships outside of Europe. The F4-T014 is not only an excellent race car, but an extremely safe one too – no serious injuries have been recorded in more than 400 races and around 150,000 racing laps to date.
Cars are available from around £25,000 complete with engine, whilst existing GB3 teams can use 80% of the same spares whilst maintaining and preparing cars across two championships.
Engine parity will be optimised by existing GB3 partner Mountune, working in conjunction with Tatuus and Autotecnica Motori. The car will run exactly as it has done in F4 competition, with a 1.4-litre turbocharged engine, producing 160bhp and a sequential paddle shift gearbox.
