Fox Motorsport are re-joining the Intelligent Money British GT Championship grid this season, running new machinery as they hope to challenge for the GT4 class title.
The team is running the #40 McLaren 570S GT4 in 2021, having taken Ginetta and Mercedes-AMG entries to class title challenges in previous seasons.
Mark Murfitt and Michael Broadhurst took the Mercedes-AMG GT4 to third-place in the GT4 Pro-Am class in 2019, and Fox are entering another Pro-Am driver line-up this year.
Nick Halstead and Jamie Stanley will be in the hot-seat for the Essex-founded team, a line-up showing plenty of promise.
Halstead finished third in the Ginetta GT4 Supercup‘s Am class last year, having won the Ginetta GT5 Challenge in 2018. He will make his British GT debut when the season gets underway in May.
Stanley has helped develop many drivers, including Halstead, as a driver coach. The 2010 British GT4 class champion finished second in the GTC class which made a wildcard appearance on the British GT grid at last November’s Silverstone 500, and which remains permanently in 2021.
“I’m absolutely thrilled to make my British GT debut this year,” said Halstead.
“It’s not something I thought would be possible for 2021, but a situation developed so quickly that it went from a distant dream to a reality in just a couple of weeks.
“I absolutely love McLaren as a brand.
“I’ve supported their F1 team for decades, had a couple of their road cars and was one of the founders of the UK McLaren Owners’ Club, so to now be able to race a 570S GT4 in the UK’s leading GT championship is an amazing feeling.
“I couldn’t wish for a more professional team than Fox Motorsport and in Jamie Stanley I have a co-driver who’s already won the GT4 title and who’s been in my corner since my very first race in a Ginetta back in 2017.
“British GT has huge kudos and its global live streaming adds a lot of value for our partners too, so it really is a win-win situation.”
Stanley will be keen to become the series’ first ever two-time GT4 class champion this season, and said, “It’s mega to be back in British GT.
“Although I’ve managed to win quite a few championships and get a few international victories since my 2010 GT4 title, I really haven’t had many full seasons in British GT.
“To have the chance to race the McLaren 570S GT4 alongside Nick, and with a team I’ve worked so closely with for many years, was an opportunity far too good to miss.
“I’ve worked with Nick ever since he decided to go racing and chose Fox to help him move up the ladder.
“He’s made huge progress in that time, as his many successes show, but this will definitely be his biggest test.
“It’s up to us to make sure he’s as well-prepared as he can be and to give him everything he needs to thrive in the McLaren.”
Both drivers got their first taste of the 570S GT4 at Donington Park on Tuesday (13 April), beginning Fox’s test schedule ahead of the first round. British GT is expected to visit the Leicestershire circuit on 10/11 July.
Silver Cup entrants have been outlawed for this season, with the introduction of a new Silver-Am class. This is expected to open the floor for Pro-Am partnerships to challenge for the outright title in both GT3 and GT4.
The Intelligent Money British GT Championship gets underway at Brands Hatch on 22/23 May.
