Elite has made a mark in GT4 Supercup too, with Smalley seeking further success

It wasn’t just a hat-trick of Ginetta Junior titles that made last year significant for Elite. It also marked the team’s progression up the racing ladder.

Having taken three wins in Ginetta Junior, Harry King was ready to graduate into senior racing. And he wanted to remain with Elite. So it was decided that the team would expand into the Ginetta GT4 Supercup, running a single G55 for King.

“We’ve now built a bit of a ladder for the team,” says team boss Eddie Ives. “Harry had done the two years in Juniors with us and was pretty committed to wanting to do something [else] with us. I think we did it at the right time and probably exceeded our expectations a little bit.”

Although King ended up third in the standings with four victories, he suffered a lot of bad luck during the course of the season and could have been a title contender.

Now Ginetta Junior champion Adam Smalley is looking to make a similar move with Ives hoping to run both King and Smalley this year. Smalley is also keen to remain with the Elite outfit if he can find the budget to step up.

“They are the nicest bunch of people I’ve ever met,” he says. “They’re very professional and a great team, I can’t doubt them at all. People get on naturally, there are no forced conversations.

“At Silverstone when I had my crash, my mechanic got the car repaired from literally nothing – it was completely destroyed and I thought the car was written off, but he got the car back out for the next race. I wouldn’t have wanted to be with anyone else last year.

“It’s fantastic, Eddie Ives and the team have come such a long way in a short space of time.”