Ryan Ratcliffe will team up with Lee Mowle as the pair take on a new British GT Championship challenge as they join forces in an AmDTuning.com Mercedes AMG GT3.
Mowle returns for his second season at AmDTuning, he raced a BMW Z4 GT3 for the team last year alongside Joe Osborne, and is relishing a 2017 season behind the wheel of the latest iteration of the GT3 rule book.
He said: “When the opportunity came along to race in the series, it was one that made perfect sense and I’m pleased to be returning for another season.
“As a Silver/Bronze driver pairing, we know that it will be difficult to challenge for the title but there is no reason why Ryan and I can’t surprise a few people as the year goes on; particularly as the Mercedes is a car that will be well suited to the British circuits.
“Personally I think I’m going into the season in good shape and I feel Ryan is a young driver who continues to improve and get quicker, so I think we are in for a good year together.”
For Welshman Ratcliffe, the move to Shaun Hollamby’s team is a welcome one after a disjointed 2016 which saw him only complete half a season in the Optimum Motorsport Audi R8 LMS in British GT – but did do a number of endurance races with the team.
“I had a few things lined up for this year but no full season programme, so when I got the call from Lee to see if I was interested in racing the Mercedes, I almost bit his hand off!” said the Welshman. “It’s something that was really unexpected but I really can’t wait to get started and having already driven a new generation GT3 car, am keen to see how the Mercedes compares.
“Hopefully the experience I gained last season will help us get up to speed quickly with the new car and will ensure we are right on the pace when we get to Oulton Park.
“On a personal level, 2016 was a difficult year on track, but I think me and Lee will be a good pairing who can run towards the front end of the grid. I think we’ll have good pace when it comes to the races where strategy will also play a role, and I’d like to think we can challenge for the podium positions.”
This won’t be the first time the pair have raced alongside each other, they were British GT teammates way back in 2012 and teamed up two years later to tackle the Blancpain GT Series but both are now looking ahead to the future and a crack at the overall title this season.
