Greystone GT Race Team to debut in GT Cup with GT4 McLarens in 2021

Greystone GT is thrilled to embark on its maiden season in circuit racing in 2021 with two full-time entries in the GT Cup.

The Silverstone-based team will field a pair of McLaren 570S GT4s in the series’ GTH class. Drivers Mark Hopton and Iain Campbell will be paired with international championship-winning racers Adam Carroll and Oli Webb respectively.

The 2021 season will be the first full-time season in racing for Mark and Iain, who each made their circuit-racing debuts late last year, having become involved with Greystone GT through the organisation’s Supercar Trackday programme initially.

Former BAR-Honda Formula 1 test driver Adam, who will co-drive Mark, brought Team Ireland the A1GP ‘World Cup of Motorsport’ title as well as winning the most recent Ferrari Challenge World Finals.

He has also competed in IndyCar, Formula E, the DTM and the Le Mans 24 Hours during a career of over 20 years that also included four wins in the GT Cup in 2019.

Fellow professional Oli will compete in a UK-based series for the first time since fighting for the British Formula 3 International title in 2010.

A highly-successful sportscar racer on the global stage, Oli has won the European Le Mans Series title and the Dubai 24 Hours outright as well as racing prototypes extensively in the FIA World Endurance Championship and Le Mans 24 Hours over the past seven years.

What is Greystone GT?

Created in 2016 by Mark McLoughlin, a single-seater racing champion and former Business Manager of McLaren GT, to run the UK’s best owner-Supercar Trackdays, Greystone GT has grown into a destination for enthusiastic drivers who want to take their on-track experience to the next level 

The 2020 season was the most successful to date for Greystone GT, who staged 14 track-based events; adding the new High-Performance Test Day concept to its Supercar Trackdays.

For the past three years it has maintained a growing fleet of GT racing cars for high-performance track use, while also developing a programme to take enthusiastic drivers from Supercar Trackdays up to racecar ownership and through to competitive race action.

Having relocated to a new home at Silverstone in October 2020 and appointed Tim Mullen as Team Manager, to be supported by a team of internationally-established technical and operations staff, Greystone GT is ready to embark on a new era on-track.

How does the GT Cup work?

The GT Cup is a UK-based racing series for GT racing cars. Events typically feature practice, qualifying, two sprint races of 25-minute duration and two longer 50-minute pitstop races with driver changes allowed. 

The emphasis is placed on giving Sporting drivers like Mark and Iain as much track time as possible, meaning professionals like Adam and Oli are restricted to taking part in practice and the second 25-minute stint of each pitstop.

Seven rounds will be held at the UK’s best racetracks between April and October with live streaming from all events from Race Television. 

Mark Hopton said: “It’s a bit unbelievable to be getting ready to compete in the GT Cup. I’d never driven on a racetrack until three years ago and even when I started, it was just about learning the limits of my road car. Then I discovered Greystone GT and haven’t looked back since. With the team taking care of everything to do with the McLaren, I’ve been able to focus solely on driving whenever I’m at the track. That’s helped me to reach the point where racing was a logical next step and something I really wanted to challenge myself with. Having a professional driver of Adam’s ability alongside me is pretty amazing and he’ll be extremely important in helping to guide me through this first season. Target-wise, I’d like to finish every race, get closer to the front as the year goes on, and just enjoy myself.”

Adam Carroll said: “I’m really looking forward to coming back to the GT Cup and to racing with Mark. I’ve never raced a GT4 car, but I’m always interested to try something new and I know that Greystone GT will always prepare a car to the highest quality level possible, so although they’re new to racing, the staff within the team have a lot of experience. The McLaren is an ideal GT4 car for a driver like Mark, who’s really looking to develop their skills, because it’s quite user-friendly. GT Cup is a pretty ideal series too because sporting drivers like Mark get the majority of the track time on a race weekend and that will help him to learn some of the crucial skills you just can’t develop in a test-day situation. This is very much a learning season for Mark and I’m looking forward to helping him move forwards.”

Iain Campbell said: “I’ve loved cars and motorsport since I was a boy, and throughout all that time, racing has been a box that I just had to tick. I’m really looking forward to having the chance to do that this year. After doing quite a bit of trackday driving, I came to a Greystone GT event, thought it was extremely well-organised, later had the opportunity to drive a GT4 McLaren and knew that this was something I had to do. The team couldn’t have done more for me in terms of my preparation and they were there with me when I made my race debut in December in the pouring rain. This year is all about learning and enjoying. If we can make progress across the year, I’ll be happy with that.”

Oli Webb said: “It’s nice to be shaping up for a UK championship for the first time since I raced single-seater! I started working with Iain a couple of years ago on track days and it’s been great to see not only how he’s progressed in that time, but how much he’s enjoyed it too. It’s going to be a baptism of fire for Iain because there’s still so much to learn - and it’s racecraft that you can only learn by racing! But he’s a fast learner so I think he’ll be able to get comfortable quite quickly. Certainly the McLaren - which I’ve never raced - is an ideal GT4 car as it’s very user-friendly for a driver like Iain. I can’t wait to get going now - it feels like it’s been a long time since the race season ended.”

Mark McLoughlin, Team Principal, said: “When Greystone GT was formed in 2016, the aim was always eventually to create a team as a destination for drivers looking to move up from non-competitive track driving and test themselves in a racing environment. It’s extremely exciting to confirm our first season of competition with two drivers, in Mark and Iain, who we met on our Supercar Trackdays and who have continuously pushed themselves to reach the next level on-track and asked us to be a part of that journey. They’re both aware of the challenges they face as racing rookies, but both are incredibly fast learners and in Adam and Oli, they have two absolute top-notch professionals not only racing with them, but helping their development every step of the way in and out of the car. Our aim is to make sure both Mark and Iain get the maximum possible from themselves and from us across the year and we can’t wait to get started.”

The cars that rock our Supercar Trackdays

Since our formation in 2017, we’ve been fortunate to have played host to some of the most exquisite and exclusive road vehicles ever produced, from homologation specials to hypercars, McLaren Sennas to Ferrari F40s and even the odd Chevron B16! The reason; fantastic drivers who are as passionate about demonstrating the capabilities of their cherished machines as we are watching them, and then about enjoying the relaxed atmosphere we provide to discuss braking points and apexes over a coffee.

In total, we’ve had 239 cars appear at our Supercar Trackdays, so we thought it was about time we crunched the numbers to find out what our drivers have been bringing to the UK’s best supercar owner-trackdays.

Here’s what we came up with…

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McLaren 675LT at our 2019 Spa-Francorchamps event

1 – McLAREN 675LT (43)

The 675LT is the most popular car to have come out of McLaren Automotive’s Woking production facility, and it’s easy to see why. Just look at it! As if the 650S wasn’t impressive enough, the 675LT – debuted in 2015 – takes everything good about the car on which it’s based and improves on it to create a track-focused monster. Using more carbon fibre than the 650S helps reduce weight and increase cornering stability, while lighter wheels, bigger brakes, more grippy tyres, bespoke camshaft and optimised fuel-pump all improve performance with a 205mph top speed. Not forgetting speed through the turns, a 50 per cent larger air brake/wing assembly further enhances the driving experience. It’s equally clear that plenty of owners have made the most of the paint options available too, with a range of easy-to-spot block colours and stylish liveries appearing at venues as far apart as Donington Park and Spa-Francorchamps. So far, 675 LTs have made 43 appearances at our events in hard-top and spider varieties, and we’re sure there’ll be plenty more throughout 2020.

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McLaren 570S at our 2019 Spa-Francorchamps event

2 – McLAREN 570S (34)

With a 3.8-litre twin-turbocharged V8 sitting between the driver and the rear axle, and 562bhp driving the rear wheels of the lightest car in its class at a little over 1300kg, the McLaren 570S is all about performance. Its Monocell II carbon chassis is ultra-strong, creating immense cornering stability and inspiring confidence in its drivers. There’s even a GT4 racing version, which is already into double figures when speaking about the number of titles won, and a special manufacturer track pack to improve performance even further. Thirty-four of these have appeared at our events since 2017, including Spider and special editions.

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Porsche 911 GT3 RS at our 2018 Donington Park event

3 – PORSCHE 911 (28)

Is it even a supercar trackday without at least one example of Stuttgart’s finest? The 3.6-litre powerplant may no longer be the 911’s essential core, but the rear-engine, flat-six lay-out certainly is, and the latest versions of the GT3 and GT3 RS are track-bred beasts that retain the German vehicle’s instantly-recognisable shape and refines it for the modern era. Twenty-eight appearances have been made by 911s at Greystone GT Supercar Trackdays, including the GT3 RS, which adds 20bhp and reduces the 0-60 time from 3.9 seconds to 3.2, but sacrifices a smidgen of top speed thanks to the extra downforce produced by its larger, downforce-generating rear wing, the Turbo S, the GT2 and the Cup.

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McLaren 12C at our very first Greystone GT event at Donington Park in 2017

4 – McLAREN 12C (24)

The Gordon Murray-penned McLaren F1 became an instant cult classic when it debuted in 1993, but it was not until the establishment of McLaren Automotive in 2010 that the structure was in place to enable another mid-engined production vehicle to come to fruition. That vehicle was the MP4-12C (known simply as the 12C since 2012). With a 592bhp, 3.8-litre twin-turbo V8, mounted longitudinally within a carbon-composite chassis, the car was praised for its precise handling and driver experience. Utilising the championship-winning Formula 1 technology for which McLaren is renowned, the 12C introduced brake-steer and a seamless-shift gearbox, making it a hugely potent trackday machine. Twenty-four 12Cs have appeared at Greystone GT Supercar Trackdays.

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Ferrari 488 GTB at our 2019 Silverstone event

5 – FERRARI 488 (15)

Their halo cars pull in the headlines – and we’ve had an F40 and an 812 Superfast among some of the rarer models produced by the Maranello concern at our events – but it’s the 488 that has given many more enthusiasts the chance to become a Ferrari owner over the past decade. A 3.9-litre V8 engine and seven-speed gearbox produces more than enough power and puts it on the racetrack brilliantly, while its body creates 50 per cent more downforce than its predecessor, the 458, while sacrificing no drag at all. The Challenge version, which has populated Ferrari’s one-make series in Europe, North America and the Asia-Pacific regions, has become just as popular as its road-going sister. We’ve seen 15 appearances in total by 488s.

What will our list look like this time next year? Who knows? We’ll have a great time finding out though…

Greystone GT selected to run P ZERO™ EXPERIENCE at Silverstone

Greystone GT are delighted to have been chosen by legendary tyre brand Pirelli to run the track operations for the UK edition of its global Supercar Trackday programme; the P ZERO™ EXPERIENCE.

Taking place at Silverstone on June 2-3, Trackday enthusiasts will have the opportunity to put their Supercars through their paces on the full British Grand Prix circuit and follow in the tyretracks of Lewis Hamilton, Max Verstappen and Sebastian Vettel.

Selection by Formula One’s official tyre supplier to take on this prestigious role is an acknowledgement of the skills and expertise that have helped turn Greystone GT’s Supercar Trackdays into must-do events for discerning supercar owners.

We are able to offer Greystone GT drivers the opportunity to join the inaugural UK P ZERO™ EXPERIENCE on either day for £795 per Supercar.

P ZERO™ EXPERIENCE is a global Supercar-only Trackday experience with events held in six countries across three continents at circuits renowned for their place at the top of two-and four-wheeled motor racing.

Hospitality at the Silverstone event, which is in association with Salon Privé, is offered across the day in the Pirelli lounge with lunch served in the iconic British Racing Drivers’ Clubhouse overlooking Brooklands corner.

Guests are invited to bring their own Supercar and will have the opportunity to try cars from a host of prestige manufacturers either on the track or the road.

To book your spot, please click here to visit our bookings page, contact info@greystonegt.com, or call us on 07841 623 802.

PARTNERSHIP GOES FURTHER

As part of our enhanced relationship with Pirelli, we are extremely pleased to confirm that the Italian brand will be an official partner of Greystone GT in 2020.

This means tyre support will be offered at all of our UK Supercar Trackdays in 2020 plus our annual trip to Circuit Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium.

Supercar drivers wishing to use the latest Pirelli road or trackday tyres can place orders for new sets at a special Greystone GT rate ahead of each event across the year, and tap into the wealth of knowledge provided by their on-site experts.

Mark McLoughlin, Managing Director, Greystone GT, said: “It’s a huge honour for Greystone GT to be selected by Pirelli to run the UK’s only P ZERO™ EXPERIENCE. Pirelli have provided tyre support at several of our Supercar Trackdays and seen up-close how the team puts its years of experience in the automotive and luxury industries to good use in creating and delivering the ultimate Supercar owner Trackdays. We’re delighted to be able to bring a bit of what we do best to such a prestigious brand as the P ZERO™ EXPERIENCE, and to welcome Pirelli on-board as an official tyre supplier to our own Supercar Trackdays in 2020.”

Wayne Nickless, Marketing Director at Pirelli UK, said: “It’s fantastic to have Greystone GT on board for the very first UK edition of P ZERO™ EXPERIENCE. This event is set to bring a brand-new meaning to the whole concept of a track day, as guests will experience something that they have never enjoyed before at a racing circuit. This collaboration will build on our partnership with Greystone GT throughout 2020”.

For further information about P ZERO™ EXPERIENCE or our 2020 events please contact info@greystonegt.com or call us on 07841 623 802.

Greystone GT and Zenith Aviation extend partnership

We are delighted to announce that Greystone GT has extended its partnership with bespoke aircraft service, Zenith Aviation, for 2020.

Following a successful collaboration in 2019, Zenith Aviation will once again be on hand to discuss Supercar Trackday enthusiasts’ private-jet needs at the iconic Brands Hatch, Donington Park, Goodwood, Spa-Francorchamps and Silverstone circuits.

Greystone GT was established in 2017 and shares Zenith Aviation’s philosophy of providing a high-quality service with an exclusive touch.

Mark McLoughlin, Managing Director, Greystone GT, said: “We’re delighted that Zenith Aviation continues to value our partnership. With our discerning customer base, we believe in true strategic partnerships, and I believe our clients will benefit from our ongoing association with Zenith.”

Stuart Mulholland, Managing Director, Zenith Aviation, said:  “Greystone GT’s ethos very much aligns with our own, and we both share a client base that demands great service without compromise. 2019 has been a great year, and we have exciting plans for 2020 ourselves; we can’t wait to share them trackside soon.”

Greystone GT annouce exciting partnership with Brabham Automotive

Greystone GT are delighted to announce that Brabham Automotive – has become an official partner ahead of our final Supercar Trackday at Circuit Spa-Francorchamps on September 30 (Monday).

The Australian manufacturer of the Brabham BT62 , whose name is synonymous with F1 world championship-winning success, attended our Supercar Trackday at Donington Park in June and have now chosen to expand their relationship with us for the remainder of the year.

The Brabham BT62 made its Greystone GT debut at our Donington Park Supercar Trackday in June

As a result, they will bring the stunning BT62 to Spa where Greystone GT customers can take a closer look at the mid-engined track-only masterpiece against the sort of iconic backdrop it was designed for. Brabham Automotive has also developed a road compliant version of the BT62 which is now available to customers, with first deliveries in early 2020.

The Brabham BT62 is designed as the ultimate track car, designed to demand more of the driver. It features Brabham’s own 710ps 5.4 litre, normally aspirated V8 driving with a 6-speed sequential racebred transmission. The chassis is a carbon-chromoly fusion featuring an integrated rollcage, all of which is draped with a lighweight carbon fibre body featuring an aero package offering 1200kg of downforce. Carbon-carbon brakes provide limitless stopping power and fully adjustable suspension from Ohlins completes the performance package.

In February 2019, the Brabham BT62 eclipsed the existing track record at Australia’s most iconic, and challenging circuit – Mount Panorama, at Bathurst. In November 2019, the BT62 will see its first competitive endurance race at Brands Hatch, in the final event of the 2019 Britcar season.

Dan Marks, Commercial Director for Brabham Automotive: “We are extremely pleased to give Greystone GT guests at Spa the opportunity to see this exclusive car up-close at one of the world’s most iconic motor racing venues during the ultimate in supercar-owner trackdays. Brabham Automotive has committed to its road to Le Mans which will incorporate a customer racing program – the first steps of which will be taken at Brands Hatch in just over six weeks. It will be great to showcase the Brabham BT62 in a track environment with like-minded racing and high-performance enthusiasts.”

Mark McLoughlin, Managing Director, Greystone GT, said: “We are delighted to announce this exciting partnership with Brabham Automotive, and to have such an iconic name join us at one of the most famous racetracks in the world, Spa-Francorchamps, is even better. Like Greystone GT, Brabham Automotive are a company who are not afraid to push the boundaries to create something sensational that we know our drivers will absolutely love.”