Greystone GT ended their title-winning McLaren Trophy Europe campaign with one of the team’s most impressive weekends of the season at Barcelona.
Ryan James and Oli Webb, who were crowned 570S Trophy Champions at Monza last month, scored their eighth win of 2024 on Saturday while Ron Trenka and Duncan Tappy put on their most promising showing as a pairing as well.
From second on the Race-One grid, first-year racer Ryan pitted at the end of the formation lap to change his wet Pirelli tyres for a set of slicks on what was a damp, yet drying, circuit. It proved an inspired decision by the American and the Greystone GT team.
Exiting the pits at the tail of the field and taking several laps to get his tyres up to working temperature, the American slipped 57 seconds behind the 570S class leader by the time the race was 10 minutes old.
Once his Pirellis had warmed up, however, he was simply in a class of his own, taking up to 10s a lap off his wet-tyred class rivals and surging into the lead before the half-distance mark.
Not only that, but he made history as the first bronze-ranked driver in the 570S class to set an overall fastest lap; an achievement that was rubber-stamped when rain began to fall again ahead of the mandatory pitstops.
Taking over from Ryan was pro racer Oli, but with the track now in fully-wet conditions, he could not match his co-driver’s fastest pace.
Despite both this and a 30s success penalty taken at the pitstop – and awarded due to the number of wins achieved in the season so far – the now wet-shod Knutsford racer was imperious and won by over 10s; the duo’s eighth victory of the season.
They were second on Sunday; Ryan having taken pole position during a qualifying session that was delayed due to thick fog.
Following on from a step-up in form at Monza, team-mates Ron Trenka and Duncan Tappy finished the year with not only their best results of the season, but their best performances too.
Racing as part of a three-way fight for fifth place, New Yorker Ron ran wheel-to-wheel with two key rivals and showed improved consistency with a string of good laptimes while also battling for position.
Sixth as he emerged from the pits, co-driver Duncan climbed to fifth on the final lap; the duo’s best outright result of the season.
Ron qualified a season’s best seventh overall on Sunday morning and – following a sterling opening stint by Surrey racer Duncan – looked set for a top-five finish until a suspected puncture caused him to slow his pace over the final five minutes.
They finished seventh in the Artura Trophy class; a result that also helped Greystone GT – last year’s Teams’ Champions – seal second place in the 2024 standings.
Mark McLoughlin, Team Principal, said: “It’s been a strong way to end our second championship-winning McLaren Trophy Europe season in a row. Ryan and Oli saved their best till last with Ryan, who’s gone from total novice to international champion in less than a year, driving a fabulous opening stint on slick tyres on a damp track in Race One – a stint that absolutely sealed the win for them – and Oli being there every step of the way to support him as well as showing his class on-track. Ron’s had his best qualifying and race results of the year, but even more so, looks to be full of confidence on-track. I wish we had another event to go for Ron because I know he’d be even stronger now he’s built up this kind of momentum.”
