Macmillan Racing has confirmed that William Phillips will switch to its Aston Martin V8 Vantage GT4 for next season’s British GT Championship campaign.
It will be the 22-year-old’s second season in the class after helping RCIB Insurance Racing to claim the GT4 teams’ title earlier this year, while Phillips and co-driver Jordan Stilp also took their Ginetta to third in the Silver Cup classification.
The Buckinghamshire native has already tested Macmillan’s Aston Martin, which claimed two podiums in the hands of Matthew Graham and Jack Mitchell in 2016. Phillips was impressed by what he found.
“I’m really excited to be joining Macmillan Racing,” he said. “I’ve enjoyed testing the Aston Martin and I immediately felt at home with the team. I’m convinced that we’re going to be a very good fit.
“I feel very comfortable in the Aston Martin. It’s a great all-round car and is very well-engineered. I believe I have what it takes, within my own capabilities – and with the team’s efforts – to achieve some great results next season. Macmillan Racing had a really strong debut season in 2016 and, together, I think we can really go places.
“This year I managed to post a couple of podium finishes, as did the Macmillan boys. We’re all targeting race wins in 2017 and - who knows - if we hit our stride strongly enough, a run at the title!
Phillips added that the opportunity to progress further with Macmillan, which is also making its GT3 graduation in 2017, was a factor in his decision.
“I am hugely impressed that the team is also taking on the challenge of racing in GT3 at the same time,” he said. “I like the fact that they’re looking to establish a GT racing ‘ladder’ because that means that if we are successful together, we can progress as a unit.”
Phillips’ addition means that two of Macmillan’s four seats have now been filled following the announcement last month that Jack Mitchell would be stepping up to race the team’s newly acquired Aston Martin GT3.
Macmillan’s pre-season testing schedule will continue in the coming months.
Oulton Park hosts the opening round of 2017’s British GT Championship on April 15 & 17.