The British GT season moves on to Oulton Park for round three of the 2016 season, with two one-hour sprint races in store on bank holiday Monday.

The opening two rounds of the season – the first with Pirelli as the championship’s exclusive tyre supplier – at Brands Hatch and Rockingham featured a single two-hour race but the format changes for Oulton Park, one of the most popular and challenging circuits in the country.

The sprint races will place the emphasis more on speed over endurance, and influence the teams’ strategies for getting the optimal performance from their Pirelli P Zero slick tyres; the DHC product for the GT3 class and DH for the GT4 runners.

TF Sport Aston Martin Vantage GT3 drivers Jonny Adam and Derek Johnston were the pair to beat in the first two events, but other crews also displayed strong pace from marques such as Lamborghini, Bentley and McLaren. The GT4 category is wide open between a number of different manufacturers and teams, with Beechdean Aston Martin’s Jordan Albert and Jack Bartholomew currently leading the way.

Located in Cheshire, Oulton Park is a fast but technical circuit, containing 17 corners and lots of undulation. A pair of newer chicanes in the middle of the lap provide two heavy braking points, adding to the demands on the tyres. The two one-hour races will take place on Monday May 30, with a 10-minute window in the middle of each race for the mandatory driver change, when teams may also replace tyres.

Jonathan Wells, Pirelli British GT race engineer, said: “Oulton Park is another typical parkland circuit, with a fast flowing nature that is quite challenging on tyres. There are several high inputs of lateral force as well as heavy braking and traction points. Due to the different race format, some of the teams may opt for a more aggressive strategy in terms of setup, potentially increasing tyre degradation and wear. However, based on the opening races of 2016 we are more than confident that our tyres will offer fantastic performance throughout the weekend whatever the circumstances.”