• SRO’s Ultracar Sports Club, the unique networking and driving opportunity for owners and manufacturers of the world’s most exclusive and extreme performance cars, announces title sponsorship from prestigious Swiss watch maker Blancpain
• Unique partnership with the Chantilly Arts & Elegance Concours confirmed, bringing the classic supercars of tomorrow together with today’s rarest and most beautiful automobiles in stunning French surroundings
• 2016 Blancpain Ultracar Sports Club events are expected to welcome the first official dynamic public demonstrations of newly launched and highly prestigious performance cars
• SRO has engaged the services of Mark Harrison, the ex-Commercial Operations Director and PR Director at McLaren Automotive. Mark’s experience in helping to launch that company and bringing to market the McLaren P1 will prove invaluable to the Blancpain Ultracar Sports Club
• The Blancpain Ultracar Sports Club offers an improved hospitality suite for guests, plus the unique service of the ‘SRO Race Centre by MMC’ at Circuit Paul Ricard for any owner that wishes to store their car in expert hands with access over the summer to the famous French circuit
• 2015 Ultracar Sports Club featured the rarest and most extreme modern day supercars such as Aston Martin One-77 and Vulcan, Bugatti Veyron, Ferrari 599XX and LaFerrari, Lamborghini Veneno, McLaren P1 and P1 GTR, Pagani Huayra and Zonda Revolucion, and Porsche 918 on track together
• Blancpain Ultracar Sports Club will feature a bespoke display area in the heart of the Blancpain GT Series Paddock as well as four track sessions over 24 hours for owners, bringing the sound and sight of the latest and most exclusive Ultracars to tens of thousands of supercar fans
The Brands Hatch International GP circuit will host the first Blancpain Ultracar Sports Club event of the year where it is expected that 20 of the world’s most extreme road cars will be a part of the Blancpain GT Series Sprint Cup race weekend on May 7th and 8th.
After Brands Hatch, two more iconic race tracks play host to the Blancpain Ultracar Sports Club, with Circuit Paul Ricard hosting its second annual event in June, during the Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup meeting, followed by the Circuit de Catalunya near Barcelona bringing around 30 million pounds of extreme sports car talent to Spain in the first weekend of October.
A unique weekend programme has also been agreed with the organisers of the Chantilly Arts & Elegance for guests of the Blancpain Ultracar Sports Club that will offer an exciting new way for supercar owners to experience what is already regarded as one of the world’s best automobile concourse events. Owners of qualifying cars will enjoy all the experiences that VIP visitors are looking forward to, including a VIP gala dinner in the chateau, but will also have exclusive access to track time at a race circuit and take part in un-timed runs on the hill climb.
Stephane Ratel (Founder and CEO SRO Motorsports Group): “The successful rise in popularity of GT3 racing in recent years was partly as a result of SRO rejuvenating the concept of ‘Gentlemen Drivers’ and sensible budgets that allowed sports car manufacturers to go racing. The Blancpain Ultracar Sports Club is really just an extension of that logic to a similar audience, as supercars become faster, rarer, and more powerful than racing cars. The Blancpain Ultracar Sports Club offers owners of extreme and rare supercars a safe and dynamic opportunity to enjoy their cars’ potential in a relaxed networking environment at the heart of the world’s best GT sports car racing. We were extremely pleased with the response to the first two events held in 2015 and the momentum has carried on into 2016 with the support of Blancpain. It is a privilege to work with such enthusiasts and we expect that passion for performance cars to be reflected with a number of manufacturers presenting their new ultracars to the Blancpain Ultracar Sports Club this year. We plan to build the Blancpain Ultracar Sports Club into the world’s best networking platform for buyers and owners of these incredible machines.”
Guests at the Blancpain Ultracar Sports Club enjoy four sessions over 24 hours on track in between races. With no competitive element, the sessions in 2015 were ‘incident’ free and saw at least two manufacturers present first global dynamic drive experiences for new models as well as conduct informal benchmarking against competitors; equally, owners enjoyed the sessions, some swapping cars to see how they enjoyed ultracars that they had missed out on owning.
But it wasn’t just car owners who benefitted. For the first time, such cars were being showcased dynamically in front of a public audience with spectators at the races also able to see first-hand the unique sight of the world’s greatest performance cars on track and on display in the paddock.
Stephane Ratel (Founder and CEO SRO Motorsports Group): “The beauty of the Blancpain Ultracar Sports Club is that it recognises the common interest that all car lovers have for exotic and rare supercars; whether they are multi-millionaire sports car owners, engineers and designers at manufacturers, or families attending motor racing. It brings everyone’s dream garage to life in a truly memorable and friendly way. I am sure that the Blancpain Ultracar Sports Club will develop into a major annual programme for many owners and manufacturers.”
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Notes for editors:
The 2016 Blancpain Ultracar Sports Club will offer between 20 and 30 spaces at the four European venues: Brands Hatch, May 7/8; Circuit Paul Ricard, June 25/26; Chantilly Arts & Elegance, Sept 2/4; Circuit de Catalunya, Barcelona, Oct 1/2.
SRO is in discussion with manufacturers of supercars that qualify as ‘Ultracars’ that will be debuted in 2016 to ensure spaces are reserved for owners of new models where possible.
‘Ultracar’ is defined by rarity and performance ensuring the Ultracar Sports Club remains exclusive and remains a unique experience in the global automotive and motorsport calendar: 2015’s entrants were: Aston Martin One-77 / Vulcan, Bugatti Veyron, Ferrari 599XX / LaFerrari, Lamborghini Veneno, McLaren P1 / P1 GTR, Pagani Huayra / Zonda Revolucion, and Porsche 918.
The SRO race centre by MMC will offer track-day preparation, storage, transportation, and preferential-rate access to the Paul Ricard circuit for any Ultracar Sports Club attendee, for one or more of the summer’s events
Mark Harrison and Pierre Chapuis manage the Blancpain Ultracar Sports Club at SRO. Harrison has almost 20 years experience in the automotive industry with 10 years at BMW UK and, more recently, six years at McLaren Automotive where he held PR, Regional and Commercial Director roles.
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Blancpain – Innovation is our Tradition
Founded in 1735 by Jehan-Jacques Blancpain, the watch brand bearing his name is the oldest in the world. Blancpain is currently engaged to the renewal of mechanical watchmaking and to passing on exceptional expertise from one generation to the next through constant investment in human resources, production facilities and research. This approach is its strength and the expression of our long-term vision, even though it goes against the tide of a certain tendency to seek immediate profit. From the creation of components through to watch design, Blancpain is distinguished by its ability to develop exceptional movements. Over the past ten years, the Manufacture has indeed developed no less than 35 new calibres.
Through its various models, Blancpain preserves its heritage of precision and elegance, while also displaying an innovative and occasionally provocative spirit. Its range encompasses the sportive L-evolution line, the legendary Fifty Fathoms diver’s watch, as well as the classic Villeret collection, the high complication from Le Brassus collection and the Women models.
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SRO Motorsports Group – The architect of modern GT Racing
SRO Motorsports Group was founded by Stephane Ratel and has specialised in the promotion, support and organisation of many national and international motorsport series since 1995.
In 2016, SRO Motorsports Group will promote several championships and series, such as the Blancpain GT Series, including the iconic Total 24 hours of Spa, the British GT Championship, the Blancpain Sports Club with the Blancpain GT Sports Club and the Blancpain Ultracar Sports Club, the GT4 European Series and the Intercontinental GT Challenge.
SRO Motorsports Group runs also the SRO Race Centre by MMC – a high-level technical centre at the Paul Ricard Circuit in the south of France – and Curbstone, that provides ultimate track driving opportunities on world renowned race circuits in Western Europe for supercar owners, as well as test driving facilities for race car drivers.
SRO has offices in London, Paris and Liège.