ERC Sport will bring their Mercedes-AMG GT3 to the 2018 British GT Championship with Lee Mowle and Mercedes factory driver Yelmer Buurman taking on driving duties for the team.
Mowle has previous experience of the car having partnered with Ryan Ratcliffe at AMDTuning.com in 2017.
Team manager Keith Cheatham formed the new team for 2018 but has solid experience behind him having worked with AMD, Triple Eight and the dominant Trackspeed.
30-year-old Buurman will also bring valuable experience to the team having contested in Blancpain GT Series, Nurburgring 24 Hours and various other endurance events, including a victory at the 2018 Dubai 24 hours, driving a Mercedes-AMG GT3.
Buurman also has prior experience of the UK circuits having raced in British F3 in 2006.
“Only Rockingham will be new to me but it’s also been a long time since I raced in the UK full-time – I was a teenager the last time that happened!” he said. “We have some testing scheduled at Portimao before the media day, and then at Oulton Park just before the opening round, so there’s plenty of time to work with Lee and the team before the season starts.
“I’ve not done a huge amount of Pro/Am racing but I do have a lot of experience in the Mercedes-AMG GT3, which is important given the level of opposition this year. Clearly Aston Martin are pushing very hard! There are definitely circuits that will suit our car, and I’m really looking forward to the challenge. It’s always a privilege to race at tracks like Oulton and Brands Hatch GP.”
Mowle is upbeat about the new season and is looking forward to challenging for victories in 2018.
“2017 became a bit frustrating for me because of two programmes and car issues that weren’t immediately obvious, but with all that now behind us I’m hopeful we can show what we’re really capable of,” he said. “I’ve never been a trophy hunter and only want to race the best in order to improve, and British GT provides exactly that this season.
“This year’s Am and Pro roster looks really strong – there’s no weak pairings out there and we’ll need to bring our A-game every weekend to have any chance of making the top-five. The GT3 grid is incredibly strong.
“There wasn’t much point doing British GT without having a quick Pro to work with, and Yelmer is one of AMG’s very best. Crucially, he’s quick over a single lap and race distance, and we’ll need both if we’re to make an impression this year.”
ERC Sport are also set to run two Mercedes-AMG GT4s, with one already assigned there is still another available for potential customers to race domestically or abroad.
