Greystone GT will field a three-car line-up at the next round of the Gulf Procar Series at Yas Marina in Abu Dhabi this weekend.
McLaren Trophy runner-up Mark Hopton and car-racing debutant Mark Kempster will both compete for the team, which recently established a Middle-East base at the Dubai Autodrome, joining the #21 McLaren that has scored three podiums already.
Hopton has driven for Greystone GT since 2021, when he made his race debut in the GT Cup aboard a McLaren 570S GT4.
He finished second in the GTH standings in 2022 with three wins and last year scored three more victories on his way to second place in the inaugural McLaren Trophy aboard an Artura Trophy. He will race the Artura this weekend.
Kempster, from Stevenage, will make his car-racing debut at Yas Marina, but has amassed track experience in both go-kart and motorcycle competition in the UK. He has regularly driven McLarens on Supercar Trackdays and High-Performance Test Days over the past three seasons.
Like Hopton, Kempster will race an Artura in Class 3 for GT4 machinery.
Gulf 12 Hours GT4 winner and reigning McLaren Trophy Teams’ Champion Greystone GT established a Middle-East base in the heart of the Dubai Autodrome to provide racing and testing opportunities in the region for its global customer base earlier this winter.
With testing opportunities in the UAE plus racing available in Gulf Procar and in the 24H Dubai and 6H Abu Dhabi endurance events, Greystone GT is the only front-running European sportscar team with a Middle-East base.
Greystone GT debuted in the Gulf Procar Series in December 2023 and have so far scored two runner-up spots and a third-place finish with the single #21 McLaren running in Class 3.
Mark Hopton said: “It’s great to get back on track after what seems like such a long break since the end of the McLaren Trophy season. I’ve really enjoyed racing the McLaren Artura so far, so having a chance to do a couple of extra tests and races is a big bonus, and something that’s been made much easier by Greystone GT having a Middle-East base in a really cool location in the Dubai Autodrome paddock. It’s an ideal way to get back behind the wheel as I begin my preparations for the full season.”
Mark Kempster said: “I’m excited to make my race debut at Yas Marina this weekend in the Gulf Procar Series. While I have a fair bit of experience of driving McLaren race cars on circuits, this will be my first time in the Artura so there’ll be quite a lot to learn in Abu Dhabi. Having Greystone GT behind me will be a huge boost. They’ve supported me for the past few years as I’ve built my experience in GT racing cars and now that they have their base in Dubai and all the infrastructure that comes with it, I’m sure together we can put on a really good show this weekend.”
Mark McLoughlin, Team Principal, said: “It’s been a successful launch to our Middle-East track offering with some excellent testing completed at both Dubai Autodrome and Yas Marina Circuit and podium finishes in three of our first four races in the Gulf Procar Series. The addition of Mark Hopton – a long-time Greystone GT driver and winner – adds an established front-runner to our line-up while in Mark Kempster we have another extremely promising rookie that we’ve seen develop his skills on our Supercar Trackdays and High-Performance Test Days and that is now ready to step up to racing. This is just the beginning…”
