MCLAREN CHOOSES NEXT YOUNG RACERS
Ginetta GT5 driver Milner among the selection to tackle British GT4 with Tolman
Mclaren Automotive has announced four new drivers for its Driver Development Programme who will be placed with Mclaren partner team Tolman Motorsport in British GT next year.
The sole British driver,
Ginetta GT5 Challenge graduate Katie Milner, will be joined by Australian Harry Hayek, whose career was interrupted by a back-breaking testing shunt at Snetterton in BRDC British F3 in 2017, and two drivers with experience of the Mclaren 570S GT4 in ADAC GT4 this year; Morocco’s Michael Benyahia and Swiss Alain Valente.
The quartet were selected after a two-day shootout at Snetterton featuring 14 other drivers, including British GT race winners Dean Macdonald and Callum Pointon, 2018 British F3 champion Linus Lundqvist and 2017 British F4 champion Jamie Caroline. In addition to fitness and media sessions, the drivers were given two free practice sessions, a qualifying run and a race run to simulate a British GT weekend.
Milner, the 2016 Junior Saloon Car champion, says that she had moved into Ginettas with the aim of preparing herself for a switch to GTS and was hopeful of making a good impression in her first season.
“It’s going to be a huge learning curve,” she said. “It’s going to be really exciting to work with a team-mate and the other two drivers as well and learn from them. I think we’ll all be able to bring something different to the table and hopefully with all the support that we’re going to get, we’ll all be brought on quickly. The guys that raced last year had a shot at the championship, so that would be amazing to do the same.”
Danny Buxton, Drive team leader at Mclaren Automotive, said that each driver would be attached to a mentor as in previous years, and that the final pairings would be decided once testing gets underway next year. He added that outgoing quartet Josh Smith, James Dorlin, Jordan Collard and Lewis Proctor would all be offered roles with Mclaren.
“We were really lucky this year with the guys that we had and 100% they will be involved with Mclaren looking ahead,” Buxton said. “We’ve just got to figure out to what level that is and also try and get some more budget from the CEO!”