Greystone GT adds fourth GT4 McLaren to Donington Park GT Cup line-up

New GT Cup race winners Greystone GT will expand to a four-car line-up for the upcoming round at Donington Park with an additional McLaren 570S GT4.

Debutant Phillip Carter and international GT race winner Michael Broadhurst will be behind of the wheel of the McLaren, which will compete at the East Midlands track on September 18-19.

The duo will join the existing cars raced by Silverstone winners Rich Mason/Jon Lancaster, Mark Hopton/Adam Carroll and Iain Campbell/Oli Webb in the hotly-contested GTH class.

Phillip, from York, began undertaking a thorough test and development programme behind the wheel of the GT4 McLaren during the second half of 2020 with Michael performing coaching duties.

Further track time has been added for the self-confessed ‘speed freak’ during 2021 as he has focused on developing his on-track skills within the Greystone GT family.

Michael, 33, will make his first appearance in the GT Cup since 2019, when he completed a clean sweep of GTH class wins on a one-off outing at Snetterton.

The Northampton-based racer wrote his name into British GT history in 2008 by taking GT4 victory on the category’s series debut and finished third in the pro-am class in 2019. He is also a race winner in the European GT4 Cup, Radical Enduro and Ginetta G20 series.

Phillip Carter said: “I’ve been a speed freak all my life, be it fast jets, bicycles or, more recently, racing cars. The opportunity to get on-track with the McLaren and be a part of a team like Greystone GT is something that has really spurred me on this journey towards making my race debut, which I couldn’t be more excited about. I chose Greystone GT because of the high-quality way they do things, and Mark [McLoughlin] and Tim [Mullen] have been great in helping me outside of the car. On the driving front, Michael first sat alongside me at Goodwood last year and I couldn’t wish for a better teacher and co-driver. I feel as prepared as I can be, but I also know there’s nothing like the real thing, so I’m expecting a baptism of fire. I haven’t set any targets, but getting to the end of the first event and enjoying it feels like a good place to start.”

Michael Broadhurst said: “I’m really looking forward racing in the GT Cup again. My last time was in 2019 at Snetterton when we won our class in every race. Mark [McLoughlin] was actually my driver coach when I was in Formula Renault 15 years ago, so it’s quite a privilege that he’s asked me to part of the Greystone GT racing programme alongside some really top professionals. Phillip has shown impressive speed in testing against a number of more experienced drivers, but he hasn’t raced before so going wheel-to-wheel with other cars and having to deal with traffic-management in a 40-car field is going to be quite an eye-opener. He’s clearly a fast learner and if we have a good weekend, I hope we can turn it into a full programme for 2022.”

Mark McLoughlin, Team Principal, said: “It’s hard to imagine that just 12 months ago the Greystone GT race team didn’t exist, and yet here we are as race winners in a hugely-competitive series like the GT Cup against drivers and outfits with years of experience and achievement behind them. And now we’re expanding to a fourth car with Phillip - who has learnt so quickly since he first drove the McLaren 570S GT4 at out Silverstone High-Performance Test Day last September - and Michael, who’s a model professional and has been with him every step of the way. This is yet more validation that our focus on driver development - which has now taken four enthusiastic rookies from zero to race-ready - is doing exactly what we hoped and I’m sure Phillip and Michael will have a great experience.”

Greystone GT score first race victory at Silverstone

Greystone GT became race winners for the first time as Rich Mason and Jon Lancaster scored an extraordinary GT Cup victory on a chaotic weekend at Silverstone.

It was an inspired strategy call that put the #22 McLaren 570S GT4 into prime position in the GTH category - the most hotly-contested class in GT Cup - in Saturday afternoon’s Endurance Race.

An on-track incident brought out the safety car close to half-distance, and it was still on-track when the mandatory pit window - in which all cars must spend at least 70 seconds stationary and driver changes are allowed - opened on the 29-minute mark.

While most of the field had passed the pit entry for the 11th time when the window opened, several cars running lower down - such as Rich’s McLaren - were able to come in, swap drivers and rejoin the action while their rivals ran at slow speed.

When green-flag racing resumed next time around and the majority of the field pitted, it was Leeds racer Jon - now having relieved Harrogate-based Rich - who led.

The former European Le Mans Series champion clung on to that advantage too, winning by just 0.032 seconds for a memorable first success for Greystone GT.

It was a magnificent result for Rich, who was competing in only his third racing event, and for Silverstone-based Greystone GT, whose race team was established less than a year ago and has taken on the challenge of GTH with three rookie competitors.

Iain Campbell and Duncan Tappy were fourth with Mark Hopton and Adam Carroll scoring their best result of 2021 in with a fine performance in fifth.

Rich was sixth in Sunday’s sprint race while a 20-second success penalty - applied due to the #22 car’s class win 24 hours earlier - restricted he and Jon to ninth in the finale.

Both Iain and Mark were involved in major incidents in Sunday morning’s sprint; the former after scoring a career-best fifth place in qualifying.

Iain’s McLaren became a launching ramp for a rival and suffered heavy right-side damage - the Sandhurst racer fortunately unhurt - while contact a few laps later also put Mark, from Repton, out.

Incredible work from the Greystone GT mechanics - for which they were later named ‘Team of the Weekend’ got both cars back on-track, and while Iain and Duncan used it to climb to fifth by the chequered flag, Mark and Adam retired with a clutch issue.

The event had begun with with Iain scoring his best solo finish to date in fifth in the opening sprint with Mark and Rich 11th and 13th. Iain and regular co-driver Oli Webb moved up a place to seventh in the standings with Rich/Jon 11th and Mark/Adam 12th.

Rich Mason said: “It’s absolutely fantastic to get the first win for myself, for Jon and for Greystone GT - and in only my third-ever race weekend. It wasn’t expected and we certainly had a bit of luck that our track position gave us the chance to do the driver change before most of the other cars, but it was a genius move by Katie [Lawrence - Race Engineer] and the team in the pits to call us in at the last minute. That won us the race because Jon’s such an experienced and fast driver that when you put him in the lead, he’s not likely to give it up. The set-up at Greystone GT is first-class and we couldn’t have done it without them.”

Jon Lancaster said: “It’s one of the strangest wins I’ve ever had, but naturally we’re all over the moon. For Rich to get this win in only his third-ever race weekend is pretty special and shows not only the progress he’s made behind the wheel, but also the fantastic job Greystone GT have done to get us into this position. We’re not kidding ourselves by thinking we’re the fastest, but we were where we needed to be when it mattered and the team made a perfect call to pit us just as the window opened. I’m going home very pleased.”

Iain Campbell said: “I’m happy with the weekend overall. We started the season at the back of the grid with me as a total rookie and here we’ve been fourth of fifth in more or less every session. It’s easily the best I’ve driven around Silverstone by over half a second consistently. It wasn’t a nice feeling being sat in the car in Race Three when another car tried to mount me, but I walked away and the team did an amazing job to even get the car into a fit state to drive in Race Four, even if the steering was a bit off. It was nice sharing with Duncan and both he and Oli [Webb - regular co-driver] were in constant contact over the weekend. I’m already looking forward to Donington.”

Duncan Tappy said: “I’ve really enjoyed the weekend and I think we had a chance at the win in the pitstop race on Saturday given how well Iain drove. Maybe we could have pitted at the same time as Rich and Jon - which could have put us at the front - but I think it was really touch and go given where we were on-track when the pit window opened and maybe a bit more clear-cut for them as they were a few seconds further back. The car wasn’t perfect after Iain’s incident in Race Three, but to even get out again was a miracle that the team should be really proud of. I hope to get another chance to race with Greystone GT in the future.”

Mark Hopton said: “There are plenty of positives to take from the weekend, not least our first top-five finish. Silverstone is a tough circuit and during the test last week I was doing 2m16s, so to qualify in the high 2m13s for both races really pleased me. Sunday was a bit of a shame. I had contact with a Porsche in Race Three that damaged the radiator and put me out and then in Race Four I had an overheating clutch that the team tried to fix, but kept affecting us and eventually put us out. It’s another step forwards and we certainly learnt a lot.”

Adam Carroll said: “Mark’s made a positive step forwards this weekend, especially with his qualifying at a track he hasn’t felt that comfortable at in testing. Silverstone’s probably the hardest track for a new driver in the UK, so he’s done really well to make such an improvement. We raced hard, got stuck in and came away with a top five on Saturday. It’s a shame Sunday never really got going for us. The driving was pretty chaotic and Mark did well to avoid two very big incidents on the first lap. It will be interesting to measure how far we’ve come since the Donington opener when we go back there for the next event.”

Mark McLoughlin, Team Principal, said: “To get the first win feels fantastic. The circumstances were maybe a little fortunate, but Rich and Jon’s crew made an excellent call to pit them at the earliest possible opportunity and reaped the rewards. Rich, Mark and Iain have all taken a big step forward again this weekend, which is exactly what we’d hoped for. Everybody’s worked so hard, and after the tireless work by the mechanics to fix both Iain and Mark’s cars after Race Three, being named Team of the Weekend is a justified reward for them.”

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.”