Fox Motorsport returns to the Intelligent Money British GT Championship grid for the first time since 2019 this year with a GT4 Pro-Am driver line-up comprising Nick Halstead and Jamie Stanley.
The team previously entered the class with Ginetta and Mercedes-AMG machinery but is switching to a McLaren 570S GT4 for its first full-season campaign since running Mark Murfitt and Michael Broadhurst to third place in the Pro-Am standings two years ago.
Halstead makes his British GT debut fresh from finishing third in last season’s Ginetta GT4 Supercup Am championship. The 2018 Ginetta GT5 Challenge champion has also competed in TCR UK and at the Citroen C1 24 Hours at Spa-Francorchamps.
Stanley, meanwhile, is one of Britain’s most sought-after driver coaches and has helped oversee Halstead’s development since the latter made his competitive debut in 2017. 2010’s British GT4 champion has also been a familiar face within British GT’s paddock since his title-winning season and most recently finished second in the GTC class at Silverstone last November.
Both drivers will shake down the McLaren at Donington today before Fox commences a thorough test schedule ahead of British GT’s season opener at Brands Hatch on May 22/23.
“I’m absolutely thrilled to make my British GT debut this year,” said Halstead. “It’s not something I thought would be possible for 2021, but a situation developed so quickly that it went from a distant dream to a reality in just a couple of weeks.
“I absolutely love McLaren as a brand. I’ve supported their F1 team for decades, had a couple of their road cars and was one of the founders of the UK McLaren Owners’ Club, so to now be able to race a 570S GT4 in the UK’s leading GT championship is an amazing feeling.
“I couldn’t wish for a more professional team than Fox Motorsport and in Jamie Stanley I have a co-driver who’s already won the GT4 title and who’s been in my corner since my very first race in a Ginetta back in 2017. British GT has huge kudos and its global live streaming adds a lot of value for our partners too, so it really is a win-win situation.”
Stanley, meanwhile, also has an opportunity to become British GT’s first-ever two-time GT4 champion – a piece of history that Jake Giddings, a title winner in 2014, will also be hoping to make later this year.
“It’s mega to be back in British GT. Although I’ve managed to win quite a few championships and get a few international victories since my 2010 GT4 title, I really haven’t had many full seasons in British GT,” he said. “To have the chance to race the McLaren 570S GT4 alongside Nick, and with a team I’ve worked so closely with for many years, was an opportunity far too good to miss. I’ve worked with Nick ever since he decided to go racing and chose Fox to help him move up the ladder. He’s made huge progress in that time, as his many successes show, but this will definitely be his biggest test. It’s up to us to make sure he’s as well-prepared as he can be and to give him everything he needs to thrive in the McLaren.”
Reserve tickets for British GT’s opening round at https://brandshatch.msv.com/BH-21-BGTF3