TF Sport have confirmed that experienced GT driver Phil Glew will join them this season along with Andy Houghton for a limited programme, using a Ferrari 458 Challenge car in the GT Cup.
Glew is an experienced driver who began his motorsport career in single seaters before moving across to tintops. His first GT win came during his maiden British GT season in 2006, before going on to win the Renault Clio title in 2009. After a season in the British Touring Car Championship, Glew went on to become a fully qualified Grade ‘A’ ARDS Instructor at the age of 19 and establish his own business, Edge Sporting Events Ltd.
Andy Houghton is one of Glew’s students at Edge Sporting Events Ltd. and both Glew and TF Sport Director Tom Ferrier feel Houghton is ready to make the step into competitive motorsport.
“I’ve been coaching Andy Houghton for quite a few years now under the Edge Sporting Management banner alongside other talented individuals,” said Glew. “We offer coaching and management to young kids and to those like Andy who want to go into GT endurance racing, which demonstrates how flexible and varied our offering is. I believe Andy has reached the stage where he’s going enough to race; he feels he’s ready and so do I, therefore he’s going to give the GT Cup a shot in TF Sport’s Ferrari 458 Challenge, which we know he gets on well with.”
“At present we’re only contesting four of the eight rounds. Other responsibilities mean we’re unable to commit to a full season, but this year is all about him continuing to learn and me helping him achieve results in some of the longer races. We need to be realistic and we’re looking for race wins – as long as I do my job as a coach and a racing driver, there’s no reason why we can’t – although I’m mentoring and nurturing his talent with a longer-term view of taking him to the top in the British and European GT racing scenes,” Glew explained.
Houghton is also confident in his own abilities to tackle the GT Cup with Glew this season, who will also be coaching Houghton at each meeting.
“I haven’t done much racing for some time but I’m expecting a good season and I like to think we can get a bit of silverware at the end of the year,” said Houghton. “Podiums are what we’d ideally like to achieve during this campaign and I’ve been really pleased with the progress I’ve made with tutelage from Phil in various cars, including the Ferrari 458 Challenge.
“It’s a fantastic car that gives you a lot of feedback and confidence and it’s a lot of fun to drive too, as you might expect. Ultimately, Phil has nurtured me from a complete novice and I’ve been recording reasonable lap times recently that would have put me right in the mix in some of the UK’s most prestigious GT championships. With an extensive pre-season programme, consisting of several simulator sessions and five tests, I think I’ll be as prepared as I can be come the season-opener.”
TF Sports Director Tom Ferrier is looking forward to seeing how Houghton fairs during his season in the GT Cup.
“This is a toe in the water exercise for Andy as he starts his racing career. He has been coached by Phil, who we regard as one of the top driver coaches in the country, for the past few years and, from what I have seen of Andy’s driving, I think he will be really good in his maiden GT Cup season. We will use the Ferrari 458 Challenge car, we plan to do lots of testing and contest four of the eight rounds to get him up-to-speed.”
The 2015 GT Cup season is scheduled to get underway at the Donington Park circuit on 25-26 April.
