Ron Trenka and Duncan Tappy are the first confirmed pairing for Greystone GT’s McLaren Trophy programme in 2024 as the team seek to defend their Teams' Championship crown.
New York native Ron, who is entering his third season of racing, played a vital role in the Silverstone outfit’s run to Teams’ Championship success in 2023 as he scored a pair of podium finishes.
Having raced in both the 570S Trophy and the Artura Trophy last year, he will now focus on the faster Artura division, having moved up to his current car with two of the five rounds remaining.
Prior to his Trophy debut, the American – who began racing in 2021 – had been a multiple podium-finisher in the multi-class Monticello Motor Club series in his homeland and a points finisher in the UK’s GT Cup.
His new co-driver Duncan was a Formula Ford Festival winner and Formula Renault UK Champion during his single-seater career, but made the switch to sportscar and GT racing in 2012.
Last year he was a race winner in both the European Le Mans Series (in which he finished third in the points) and the Le Mans Cup – where he was triumphant in the showpiece ‘Road to Le Mans’ race at the legendary French endurance event.
He’s also tasted victory in the GT World Challenge Europe and International GT Open as well as finishing as series runner-up in the Asian Le Mans Series and Le Mans Cup.
Duncan previously raced for Greystone GT in the GT Cup at Oulton Park in 2021 and has remained part of the organisation’s coaching set-up for several years.
Ron and Duncan are the first members of a multi-car line-up that will cover both the Artura and 570S Trophy categories, to be announced.
The McLaren Trophy begins at Misano, Italy, on May 17-19 and visits Spa-Francorchamps, Nurburgring and Monza before concluding at Barcelona on October 11-13.
Duncan Tappy said: “It’s great to be back with the Greystone gang. I’ve known Mark and Tim since our days at McLaren GT together and we’ve been trying to put a full programme together for a long time, only for clashing schedules to get in the way. This year all the stars have aligned and I’m excited to race in the McLaren Trophy with Ron. Despite all my years in McLaren cars, I’ve never driven an Artura. It’s a powerful car in Trophy spec, so I think it should be fun to drive. A big thank you from me to Jon Lancaster at Pinnacle Management for giving me this opportunity.”
Ron Trenka said: “It’s exciting to feel the new season getting closer and I’ve been training hard on the simulator to keep myself race-sharp since Barcelona last October. I had worked with Duncan during testing in Portimao last year, so when I found out that Jon [Lancaster] was unable to race this year in Trophy due to clashing schedules, I was happy to take Jon's recommendation to bring Duncan onboard as we had gotten along very well and he is a very talented driver. And since more than half of the circuits are new to me, having someone of his experience alongside me is going to be really helpful.”
Mark McLoughlin, Team Principal, said: “The 2023 season was an incredible one for us. We were the first team to enter the McLaren Trophy and ended the season as Teams’ Champions. Ron’s podiums were a vital contribution to our pursuit of the title and we’re certainly hoping that with a full season in the Artura this time, that he can add to that number. Duncan may be a new co-driver to Ron, but he’s been an important part of the Greystone GT story, having been involved right from the start. We’ve won races together pre-Greystone GT and he’s a great asset to the team so I’m delighted that he’s finally on board for a full championship season as Jon Lancaster races another Greystone GT-run car in a different series.”
