MORGAN AERO 8 BRITISH GT CHAMPIONSHIP 2003
FINISHED CHAMPIONSHIP 2ND OVERALL
In 2002 the BRDC announced that a new class would be added to the British GT Championship for 2003: GT Cup. Regulations were essentially simple; cars must be derived from production road sports cars and would have to comply with a strict power to weight formula. The Morgan motor Company immediately saw the potential of producing their Aero 8 in GT Cup form and announced it at the Autosport Show in January.
As a leading Morgan dealer who has been involved in Motorsport up to international level for more than 30 years, I was immediately excited by the prospect of buying and running the new car, the road going version having already earned my considerable respect. Setting up a separate race team for GTs, developing a new car and acquiring all the hardware necessary to compete at this very professional level has been challenging and rewarding. Richard Thorne
2003 Results:
2 wins, 5 seconds, 2 thirds, 1 fourth, 1 pole and 3 fastest laps and only 1 retirement out of 11 races.
Richard Thorne Motorsport 2nd overall GT Cup. Total points 214. Neil Cunningham (No. 1 driver) 2nd driver overall GT Cup. We were the only team to beat the Porsches and were never beaten by Ferrari 360s or Lotus Elises or indeed anybody else!
Technical Specification:
Standard Aero 8 Production Chassis
4.6 Litre M62 BMW engine producing 410lbs ft torque (556 n.mts)
Standard Aero8 production Suspension elements with frequency sensitive double adjustable Koni and Eibach springs providing lower ride height. Le Mans GT stiffness
Full FIA Licensed Roll cage
Premier 100 Litre rubber bag fuel tank
Full LM GT fuel delivery system with full anti surge and filtering
Racing seat
Full Harness
Detachable Steering wheel
Racing instrumentation
2kg Fire Out system with scuttle-mounted cut out switch and fire button
6-speed Getrag Gearbox
3.45:1 BTR Axle unit with up rated Hydratrak limited slip
Mechanical oil pumps driven by belt from axle output flange circulating oil from gearbox and axle for cooling
Triple pump Dry Sump system with closed circuit breathing
Room for drivers up to 6ft 4in
LM GT brake system with adjustable balance
Fully floating discs on alloy bell
6 pot front calipers and 2 pot rear calipers
Choice of paint, with hardtop and adjustable wing
9 x 18 OZ Mag wheels with 225.40 ZR 18 front tyres and 245.40 ZR 18 rear tyres
Weight with driver 1120 kgs
Power 320 BHP at 5.8000; .285 BHP per kilogram
BRDC target .28 BHP/Kilo