Jack Mitchell to Lead Macmillan Racing Expansion into GT3

Photo: British GT

Macmillan Racing announced on Wednesday plans to enter both GT3 and GT4 in the 2017 British GT Championship, following a successful maiden year in GT4.

Jack Mitchell and Matty Graham took the team to fifth in the GT4 standings in 2016, and Mitchell has been signed as the first driver in the team’s Aston Martin V12 Vantage GT3 for next season.

The 18 year old’s GT3 team-mate is yet to be announced, but it is expected that the team will run the car in either the Silver Cup or as a Silver-Am entry.

“It’s been a big surprise and also a big jump!” he said. “Myself and the team spent last year learning the ropes so it was good to get a few podiums. It could be more of the same in 2017 but I’m really excited about the challenge.

“I tested the GT3 car last week and immediately felt the difference in terms of aero. Trusting yourself to carry more speed into the corners and knowing the car will stick certainly takes some getting used to.

“I think that’s going to be the theme next year, which is why the new Silver-Am category – if we go down that route – is a good thing. The established guys at the front have a lot more experience, so being able to fight for something while developing as a driver is a good incentive.”

The team’s GT4 lineup hasn’t been announced either yet, but a number of drivers have been testing the car recently, including BTCC regular Aiden Moffat.

Team principal David Macmillan has expressed his ambition to move into international racing in the future, and sees this step up into GT3 as the next step towards that aim.

“We said, right from the beginning, that we wanted to create a GT racing ladder to give drivers and engineers a chance to progress as they learn their trade,” he explained.

“Getting our feet wet in the GT4 class obviously made sense for the first season but now it’s time to step up to mix it with the big boys. Adding the GT3 car to our attack shows that we’re serious in our intention to progress all the way in GT racing.

“Our plan is to learn more in the British GT Championship, then expand further to the GTE class, with the eventual goal of racing at Le Mans and at World Championship level.”

Jake Kilshaw

Jake Kilshaw is a UK-based journalist. He is a graduate of Politics and International Relations.