Campbell & Webb on GT Cup podium again for Greystone GT

Greystone GT scored another GT Cup podium finish at Oulton Park on a day when ultra-tough weather conditions forced the crews of their three McLaren 570S GT4s to be on top of their game.

Iain Campbell and Oli Webb added to their rostrum finish at Snetterton with third place in the GTH class in the first of two ‘Endurance’ races at the Cheshire circuit while the cars of Rich Mason/Duncan Tappy and Mark Hopton/Adam Carroll also showed excellent speed. 

Overnight thunderstorms left the track drenched as qualifying began on Saturday morning; none of Greystone GT’s Sporting Drivers having much experience of the circuit in such conditions.

Iain responded magnificently with a career-best seventh place on the grid; and the Sandhurst driver followed this up with a strong opening stint on a drying track, despite a brief spin at the ultra-fast Druids double-right near the end of the lap.

An inspired strategy call from the pit wall led to Iain staying out one lap longer than most of his rivals once the mandatory pit window opened. The result was a near-empty pitlane in which to swap his wet tyres for slicks.

Oli, from nearby Knutsford, took full advantage, setting several fastest laps in the class and hauling the McLaren up to third place by the chequered flag - just three tenths of a second away from second spot - to earn the duo their second-best finish of the year.

Sadly there was no such reward in Race Two as contact from a rival car resulted in rear-end damage that caused Iain to retire. The pair remain eighth in the points, however.

Like Iain, Rich Mason enjoyed his best-ever qualifying result in 10th; the Harrogate racer returning to the GT Cup for the first time since the Donington Park season-opener.

He kept his nose clean during the opening stint of Race One to hand over to new co-driver Duncan Tappy, who was substituting for the unavailable Jon Lancaster, in seventh.

Duncan, from Frimley, Surrey, put on a charge similar to Oli’s; the pro racer finishing fifth. Sadly a multi-car collision eliminated Rich on the first lap of Race Two, denying the pair another shot at the podium.

Mark Hopton superbly equalled his career-best result with eighth place in the wet qualifying and, after a number of position changes, entered the pits in Race One for his mandatory driver swap in the same position.

A slow stop, caused by a sticking wheel nut, caused a loss of over 20 seconds and left pro co-driver Adam to finish eighth, despite lapping just as quickly as Oli and Duncan.

Contact in Race Two from another car left Mark with a buckled wheel-rim, not only affecting his laptimes, but also leading to an enforced wheel-change in the pits and a time loss of around 30 seconds.

Northern Irishman Adam put in a strong series of laptimes to again finish eighth.

Iain Campbell said: “It feels great to be on the podium again, but it was hard work with the weather conditions being what they were. I actually preferred it when it was bucketing down in qualifying than when it dried out during my stint in Race One. The track was very greasy - I had a spin at Druids that definitely cost us second place. We had a great strategy to stay out a lap longer than most people on wets so I had a clear pitlane when I stopped, and we really benefitted. In Race Two I was hit at the chicane and the damage put me out. We have some momentum now though and the championship top five isn’t a million miles away so it’s something to aim for at Silverstone.”

Oli Webb said: “It’s really good to be on the podium again, which I think was a combination of good work from Iain and myself plus a very clever strategy call from our engineer Barclay. Iain stayed out an extra lap when the pit window open and just nailed the in-lap. When he came in, the pits were empty so we got a great stop, made up more time than we lost through Iain being on worn wets when new slicks were preferable, and I felt the McLaren just really worked well on the drying track on slicks. Race Two didn’t go our way when Iain got hit and the damage put us out, but I know he’ll be strong at Silverstone next time.”

Mark Hopton said: “My confidence is sky-high after right now. I just felt a lot more focused and relaxed behind the wheel compared to my debut at Donington in April and I think that showed in being able to qualify so well in what really weren’t the nicest track conditions with the rain. We had podium pace all day at Oulton and that’s hugely encouraging. Unfortunately we had a wheel nut get stuck in the Race One pitstop, which cost us about 30 seconds and probably a shot at the podium, and then in Race Two I had a damaged wheel after contact and had to have it changed, but the speed was still good.”

Adam Carroll said: “The team did a great job this weekend and I’m particularly lucky they spotted Mark’s damaged wheel at the pitstop in Race Two and changed it, because without that I could potentially have had a tyre go down on my out lap and had a big accident. For Mark to come here and need to qualify in such bad weather was a huge challenge for him, but he got his best ever grid spot so he can be very proud. For me, because we’d been delayed in the pits, there wasn’t a lot for me to aim for so I just focused on getting the laps reeled off and keeping the car in one piece so we collected useful points.”

Rich Mason said: “It’s been a tale of two races today, but I’m still smiling. Race One was great. I concentrated on not going off in the wet, because lots of other drivers passed me and then fell off the road pushing too hard. We had a short delay in the pitstop because there was a lot of traffic in there, but Duncan did a great stint and we only missed fourth place by a small margin. Race Two was over almost before it began as I was involved in an incident at Knickerbrook; the first time I’ve had something like that happen. Huge thanks to Duncan for standing in for Jon this weekend and I’m pleased we have a good result to take away from it.”

Duncan Tappy said: “It’s been a positive weekend and I really enjoyed being back with the guys at Greystone GT for the first time this year in general and the first time ever as a race driver. It was a very comfortable working relationship. Rich made some excellent progress, especially as we improved the car. He stayed out of trouble in Race One and I probably only needed one more lap to get fourth in GTH; not bad considering we had a delay in the pits. Race Two never really got going, which was a shame. I’d love to have the opportunity to return to Greystone GT later in the season, so I guess we’ll see if the chance comes up.”

Mark McLoughlin, Team Principal, said: “It’s been a hectic event with every kind of weather, lots of incidents and plenty going on. Mark, Iain and Rich all scored career-best qualifying results in what were really difficult weather conditions and they were all over the moon with that, and race pace-wise all three showed they have not only more speed than in previous events, but more consistent speed too, which always gives their pro more of a chance of getting on the podium. The wheel nut issue for Mark was frustrating but, as always, we’ll address this for the next event - our home race at Silverstone - and come back even stronger.”

Greystone GT score first podium finish at Snetterton

Greystone GT superbly scored their first podium finish on an action-packed weekend of GT Cup action at Snetterton, Norfolk.

Iain Campbell and Oli Webb achieved the landmark result in their McLaren 570S GT4 in the GTH class - GT Cup’s most-competitive division - on a weekend when the rest of the series took note of the threat from the Silverstone-based team.

Iain, from Sandhurst, who had just a single race start to his name before the season kicked off in April, was in inspired form on Saturday.

Having battled up from 12th on the Sprint Race grid to finish sixth, he performed strongly to end his stint in the Pitstop race in third spot.

Co-driver Oli, the 2014 European Le Mans Series Champion spent the remaining 19 minutes of the race turning a 14-second deficit to the race leader into an arrears of just 1.4s by the chequered flag.

While another lap could have given the pair a remarkable victory, both were thrilled with the result.

Things looked set to get even better for the team on Sunday as the sister car of Mark Hopton and Adam Carroll stormed to victory on the road.

Mark, from Repton, made a lightning start from ninth on the grid to spend most of his stint in fourth spot. Taking over at the pitstops, Adam then took just six laps to snatch the class lead, which he held to the chequered flag.

Sadly the pair were excluded from the results and Greystone GT’s first-ever win when their car was found to be fractionally underweight in post-race checks.

That decision ensured that Iain and Oli finished ninth; the duo having matched Mark and Adam for pace all race, but losing ground due to a 15-second success penalty - incurred as a result of their Saturday podium.

This, plus the time lost making an extra tyre change when the pit crew spotted a rear puncture while the car was stationary, dropped the #23 car down to 10th before a spirited charge from Oli gained the pair ground.

Iain and Oli are provisionally eighth in the GTH points with three of seven rounds completed. Mark - seventh in the Sunday Sprint - and Adam are 11th.

Iain Campbell said: “What a weekend. It felt surreal at the time to get on the podium in only our third event in GT Cup, and it still does now, but I’m delighted for myself, Oli and the team. I had a bit of luck with a few cars going off ahead of me, but I was still very pleased to go from ninth to third by my pitstop. After that Oli did a mega job and with one more lap he might have got the win. Sunday was just as good in terms of the pace, but with the success penalty - which is a feature of GT Cup and something we benefited from on Saturday - we were never going to be able to repeat the result. Plus the team spotted a slow puncture I must have got when I was hit on the first lap and had to change the tyre, which cost a bit more time. I’m still really happy though. “

Oli Webb said: “I’m so happy for Iain and for the team to score this result. Iain just has this knack of making up places at the start; he seems to have a natural racecraft about him, and after he never got a clear lap in qualifying, that was great to see. His pace was excellent and when I came onto the track and knew I was second, I just decided to go for it. One more lap and I think we’d have had the win, but we know the pace is there now, so I think we’re really in good shape. Iain looked even stronger on Sunday, but the pitstop penalty and Iain’s puncture killed our chances. In the circumstances, ninth was still a good result.”

Adam Carroll said: “I’m so proud of the way Mark’s developed in such a short period of time. He’s faster and more confident every time we go to the track and this weekend he had his best qualifying and easily his best race performances too. I was able to come out of the pits second on Sunday and close down and pass the leading car and win on the road. None of that would have been possible if Mark hadn’t made huge gains on his racecraft, and both he and the Greystone team have done a great job. Of course losing the win is disappointing, but the speed’s there so we know we’re going to be in the mix at Oulton.”

Mark McLoughlin, Team Principal, said: “I’m so proud of the job every member of the team’s done this weekend. For Iain and Oli to score our first podium finish on Saturday and then to run just as competitively on Sunday and only have the success penalty deny them a shot at victory is fantastic. For Mark and Adam to win on the road and prove that they were the fastest crew out there in the final race was also amazing to see. To lose the win in the manner we did is very disappointing and, while we accept the black-and-white facts, we don’t agree with the decision and we’re seeking a clarification on a particular point of the regulations to avoid this happening again. It’s only going to strengthen our resolve to come back stronger than ever at Oulton Park.”

Duncan Tappy to race Greystone GT McLaren in GT Cup at Oulton Park

Greystone GT is delighted to announce that international sportscar ace Duncan Tappy is the latest professional racer to join the team’s GT Cup line-up.

Duncan, 37, will partner Rich Mason in one of three McLaren 570S GT4s at Oulton Park this weekend as regular co-driver Jon Lancaster is unavailable.

The #22 machine; its colour scheme reminiscent of so many Formula 1 World Championship-winning McLarens from the 1980s and ‘90s, will compete in all remaining races after missing the past two events owing to Rich’s commitments elsewhere.

Duncan has amassed an impressive CV in both single-seater and sportscar racing during a career of over 15 years. He won the world-renowned Formula Ford Festival in 2005 and claimed the Formula Renault UK title two years later.

Running future F1 ace Romain Grosjean close for the 2010 AutoGP title - and eventually finishing third - he then switched to sportscar racing, where he has enjoyed even more success.

A race winner in both the GT World Challenge Europe and the International GT Open, Duncan’s most significant recent achievements have been finishing as runner-up in the LMP3 class in the 2019 Le Mans Cup and this year’s Asian Le Mans Series.

Oulton Park will mark his first GT Cup start since 2015, when he raced a GT3 McLaren in a programme put together by Greystone GT founder Mark McLoughlin.

Duncan and Rich will be joined at Oulton Park in the GTH class by the similar McLarens of team regulars Iain Campbell/Oli Webb - who secured Greystone GT’s first podium at Snetterton last time out - and Mark Hopton/Adam Carroll.

The one-day status of Oulton Park’s event means a compressed two-race format will be used. The usual sprint races will not be held, meaning all the focus will be on the pair of endurance races, which feature a mid-race pitstop and driver change.

Duncan Tappy said: “I’m delighted to join Greystone GT for the Oulton Park weekend and to race with Rich, who I’ve done a little bit of coaching with previously. My only other GT Cup start was back in 2015 in a programme put together by Mark McLoughlin, and I’ve been involved with Greystone GT Supercar Trackdays and High-Performance Test Days on the coaching side on and off since their very first event four years ago, so I’m familiar with the people and the way everything works. I’ve probably done more laps in the McLaren 570S GT4 than any other racing car with development work and coaching, so I hope I’ll just be able to jump in and be on the pace. More important will be to make sure Rich gets the support he needs to extract the maximum performance from himself, so he’s an even stronger driver when Jon comes back for the next event.”

Mark McLoughlin, Team Principal, said: “It’s great to welcome Duncan into the Greystone GT race team for Oulton Park. He’s a driver I’ve known for a long time and one who’s been a regular fixture at out Super Trackday and High-Performance Test Day events in a coaching capacity with some of our customers. Because of this he knows the team already and that’s going to make the settling-in process a non-factor. It’s fantastic that a team as new as Greystone GT can attract drivers with the pedigree of Duncan, who play a crucial role in our driver-development programme with rookie racers like Rich Mason and help them to keep evolving on-track during their firsts seasons of racing.”

Greystone GT partners with Lionshields

-        World-leading XPEL Ultimate PLUS PPF available to Trackday drivers

-        Demonstration set for Donington Park Supercar Trackday on July 30

-        Greystone GT drivers can benefit from expert installation and service

Greystone GT is delighted to announce an exciting new partnership with Lionshields that will bring the world’s leading Paint Protection Film to within easy reach of a large group of passionate Supercar Trackday drivers.

Lionshields is one of the UK’s leading paint-protection film experts, specialising in the application of XPEL Paint Protection Films - self-healing films produced by the global market leader XPEL that help prevent stone chips, scratches and swirl marks on a car’s body.

Greystone GT customers can now benefit from Lionshields’ expert finishing, legendary attention to detail and 10-year warranties around full-front end, side sill and full-car PPF packages.

Lionshields will attend the Greystone GT Supercar Trackday on July 30 at Donington Park, where they will display a range of vehicles that have benefitted from their PPF treatment and answer questions on the topic.

Mark McLoughlin, Managing Director, Greystone GT, said: “We are delighted to announce this partnership with Lionshields. We see lots of high-value supercars being put through their paces by owners who are passionate about their vehicles. A high-quality paint-protection film gives added peace of mind that a supercar will be protected from the elements, not only on-track, but on the open road as well. Lionshields and XPEL Ultimate PLUS is a combination that is already on cars belonging to several Greystone GT drivers - who are delighted with the results. I’m excited to see more introduced to their services at Donington.”

Callum MacLeod, Director, Lionshields, said: “We’re thrilled to enter a partnership with Greystone GT. We first met Mark and the team a little while ago and have been privileged to be entrusted with installing XPEL Ultimate PLUS to a number of their customers’ supercars already. Our team of expert installers are looking forward to being introduced to the wider Greystone GT trackday community at Donington Park on July 30 to showcase the range of benefits that PPF can have on a high-value car.”

Greystone GT partners with Gulf Race Fuels

Greystone GT is delighted to announce a partnership with Gulf Race Fuels ahead of our High-Performance Test Days at Silverstone on June 9-10.

With a 100-year heritage, the Gulf brand is globally recognised and trusted, and developed iconic status in motorsport through its association with Steve McQueen’s Le Mans movie plus its sponsorship of the winning Ford GT40s in 1968 and ’69.

Half a decade on, the famous orange and blue logo continues to feature prominently in a variety of motorsport series, including in Formula 1 with McLaren.

Gulf branding will feature in the Greystone GT pit garage from this weekend’s GT Cup event at Donington Park onwards, while Gulf Race Fuels will be available to all participants at upcoming High-Performance Test Days.

For more information about Gulf Race Fuels, please visit https://gulfracefuels.com/.