TECHNICAL COLUMN PROVIDED BY WITHAM MOTORSPORT – DISTRIBUTORS OF MOTUL AUTOMOTIVE LUBRICANTS
How Toyota and the Motul-backed Speedworks British GT programme will help unearth the next generation of sportscar drivers in 2021
With GT racing becoming a more and more appealing route for young drivers to follow from the very early stages of their career, Motul’s partner Speedworks Motorsport has opened up a pathway to unearth the next generation of sportscar superstars in 2021.
The team, which will run a brace of Motulbranded Toyota Corollas in the British Touring
Car Championship this season for Rory Butcher and Sam Smelt, also has a foot in the British GT Championship camp. It ran the Toyota Supra
GT4 machine in 2020 and was a podium finisher.
Team boss Christian Dick has teamed up with Toyota Gazoo Racing Europe [TGR-E] to help open a new pathway for up-and-coming drivers to benefit from all the tools that the team and the parent group have to offer.
A Young Driver Development scheme has been put in place, and Dick says it will be a huge boost to any racer who is selected. He explains: “There are some young driver initiatives around in GT racing, and we wanted to make sure we had a presence there too. We wanted to put something together so that aspiring racers know that TGR-E and Speedworks are interested in them and we wanted to help push them in the right direction as well as adding skills to their armoury that they might not get elsewhere.”
The British GT Championship is one of the flagship domestic series in Europe and has become a beacon for a number of racers who are looking for a career in top-flight motorsport. Dick can see the appeal for a young driver who wants to have a career with a roof on his car.
“The British series is in rude health and you can see why it appeals to younger drivers now,” says Dick. “There is interest from manufacturers, the talent is there and that helps the competition get stronger. It is self-fulfilling because all those factors help the value of the series gets stronger, which helps it to keep building the momentum for everyone involved.”
Initially, the Speedworks scheme will co-opt one talent to the ladder, but the plan is to open up the initiative to more and more aspiring stars as the programme develops.
“It has got to be the right candidate for us to select them,” says Dick. “We want to make sure that the drivers on the scheme are the right sort of drivers who will benefit from it. There will be extra effort, time, investment and resource put into them, so we have to be very careful about how the candidates are chosen. The plan is, should this scheme prove a success and when we have learned more about it, to roll it out in other championships across Europe.”
The recipient, who will be aged 25 and under, will not only be part of Speedworks’ line-up on the British GT grid, there are so many benefits that can come from Toyota Gazoo Racing Europe too.
The recipient will be able to enjoy TGR-E’s high-tech simulator based in the firm’s HQ in Cologne in Germany and will have access to
Toyota’s racing stars such as FIA World Endurance Championship winner Mike Conway.
“This scheme is about making those connections and opening doors for the young drivers that are going to help them as they move forward with their careers,” explains Dick. “There is never a guarantee – this is motorsport – but we have a strong relationship with TGR-E and the scheme shows the interest it has in what we are doing and the drivers that are coming on board with us. It adds a lot of value to the whole deal. And this is not just a line a young driver will be able to put on the
CV, there will be a tangible benefit to it.”
Toyota Gazoo Racing Europe’s managing director Rob Leupen says that teaming up with the Cheshire-based Speedworks team will help put the firm at the forefront of unearthing the next generation of stars.
He said: “The Toyota Gazoo Racing UK Young Driver Programme is a great initiative to support up-and-coming British talent and we are happy to cooperate with Speedworks. Christian and his team have a strong relationship with our colleagues at Toyota UK and participate in the BTCC under the Toyota Gazoo Racing UK banner, so they are already part of the Toyota Gazoo Racing family.
“The GR Supra GT4 has made a positive impression and we value the feedback and support of our customers, who have put their trust in TGR-E.
“With the UK Young Driver Programme, we intend to add further value while supporting Speedworks to nurture a new generation of British talent.”