Leading British sports car team HHC Motorsport has confirmed its first driver combination for the 2020 Intelligent Money British GT Championship.
Gus Bowers joins Chris Wesemael in the first of the two McLaren 570S GT4 chassis in the GT4 class of the championship. Both drivers will be in their first year of GT racing, but as a silver/silver combination are expected to mount a consistent Championship campaign.
Wiltshire’s Chris Wesemael will graduate to GT racing in 2020. Chris dominated the 750MC RGB Sports 1000 series in 2019 with 11 wins from 14 races to win the title having finished as runner-up in 2018. Chris tested HHC’s McLaren last year and is excited about the step to GT racing.
“I am super-excited about being in the car and working with Gus,” said Chris. “Between us, I feel that we will make a strong team and with such a good car and HHC behind us I am sure that we will be really competitive. The McLaren will be very different from the Mittell I drove last year, but I am super-positive about it. I think we will be able to fight for wins. Gus and I get on really well already and I am really looking forward to the season. I can’t wait to get started.”
Gus Bowers reunites with HHC Motorsport, with whom he drove in the Ginetta GT5 Challenge in 2018. Last season, Gus finished 10th in the Ginetta GT5 Challenge, with several top 10 finishes.
Said Oxford-based Gus: “I am really excited to be graduating to the British GT Championship. To be back with HHC Motorsport and to have a team-mate in Chris with whom I can work with and develop so positively. British GT is the ideal place for me to develop as a driver and to learn about a more powerful race car after the Ginetta G40. In addition, in such a competitive championship, I will be able to gauge myself against some of the best GT4 drivers around. This will only be my third year of racing and we looked at different options, but with HHC’s track record and the support it gets from McLaren Customer Racing, it was an ideal fit. HHC is determined to win and I can’t wait to work with Chris and the team to grow with them with my long-term goal being to drive in the FIA WEC.” Gus also has additional responsibilities as reserve driver for the team’s GT4 European Series programme and to undertake sim and track testing work to develop him both as a driver and HHC’s McLaren 570S GT4.
HHC Motorsport team principal Charlie Kemp said: “We have a structured, development programme that incorporates significant on and off-circuit activity for both drivers, that we feel will provide a superior platform for their continued growth and success. In addition, our strong relationship and ability to work closely with McLaren Customer Racing on both driver and car performance allows us to mount a strong challenge in British and European GT racing series.”
Ian Morgan, Director of Motorsport, McLaren Automotive said: “The 570S GT4 has achieved strong results in the British GT championship over the past few seasons, and has challenged for the title with customer teams. Last year saw HHC Motorsport take the opening race weekend of the season, and remained in the hunt throughout the full calendar, so it is great to see them confirm a return for 2020 with an exciting line-up of Chris and Gus. The season is shaping up to be the biggest for McLaren Customer Racing to date with more cars and teams racing globally than we have seen previously, and the British GT grid will see the most McLaren entries ever.”
The opening rounds of the British GT Championship are at Oulton Park, Cheshire, on April 11-13 and news of the second driver line-up at HHC Motorsport will be announced shortly.