British F3 racer Jan Jønck has been confirmed alongside William Phillips in the Macmillan AMR Aston Martin Vantage GT4 for a full British GT Championship season.
The Danish racer will be making his first steps into GT racing after a career that has so far focussed on single-seaters after spending 2016 in a recurring drive in BRDC British F3 which followed a season in ADAC Formula 4 and Formula Ford in Denmark.
Now Jønck will be racing with a roof over his head in a car that he is slowly becoming more familiar with following a recent test with the Macmillan team at Portimao, but the next challenge is converting that knowledge to the circuits on the British GT calendar.
“Britain has always been a mecca for motorsport and I’m very excited to be developing my career in the UK. It’s a great place to race,” said Jønck.
“The British GT Championship is one of the most competitive series in Europe, with lots of international-standard drivers and teams. The circuits are great, too. Well-run, exciting and challenging – some of the best anywhere – and the mix of classes, with GT3 and GT4 together, makes for very competitive and very exciting racing.”
He’s also feeling confident that with his teammate, the former RCIB Insurance Racing GT4 racer William Phillips, they’ll be challenging for podiums from the first rounds at Oulton Park.
Jønck added: “The car is clearly fast, it feels very good to drive and I’ve really started to fall in love with GT racing over the test days we’ve had together. I’m looking forward to the endurance aspect of the championship, which is completely new to me, coming from much shorter sprints, in karts and single-seaters. I can’t wait to get into the two- and three-hour races. That’s going to be a new and unique experience for me and that’s probably what I’m looking forward to the most!”
For Macmillan AMR team principal David Macmillan, the Dane isn’t just a driver he’s a member of the team family. He said: “We’ve been looking for someone that’s a good fit with the entire team and I’m convinced that, in Jan, we’ve found the final piece of our jigsaw puzzle. Macmillan AMR is a close-knit family and the way that Jan blended in seamlessly, on both occasions that he’s been with us in testing, has given us all the confidence that’s vital for the tough battle in GT4.
“Last season was all about learning the ropes. This year, we will be targeting podium finishes and, hopefully, race wins. We believe we have put all the pieces in place and – with the support of Aston Martin Racing – we can’t wait to get to Oulton Park and get the season underway.”
Jønck and Phillips will be joining Jack Mitchell and James Littlejohn at Macmillan with the latter pairing racing the team’s newly acquired GT3 Aston Martin.
