Greystone GT scored a sensational GT4 victory as they made an ultra-impressive international endurance racing debut at the Gulf 12 Hours in Abu Dhabi on Saturday.
Iain Campbell, Jamie Clarke and Oli Webb put together a mercurial display on-track, supported by perfect pitstops and expert race strategy to take the McLaren 570S GT4 to a class win by almost two minutes in what was the first major international race of 2022.
The Silverstone-based team arrived at the Yas Marina Circuit - home of Formula 1’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix - having never contested a race longer than 50 minutes and facing top-level championship-winning opposition in the GT4 category.
With both Iain and Jamie contesting their first endurance races too, expectations were kept in check as the on-track action began with shakedown on Wednesday and continued with pre-event testing a day later.
After setting the pace in the second of three official practice sessions on Friday, Iain, Jamie and Oli qualified second in class, but a rocket start from Sandhurst racer Iain propelled him into the lead as the first six-hour part of the race got underway on Saturday morning.
The GT Cup regular impressively built a 15-second advantage inside the first 45 minutes, but saw the gap obliterated when the safety car was deployed to allow the remains of a heavy accident to be cleared.
The key incident occurred in the fourth hour once racing had long-since resumed and Jamie was at the wheel. When misfortune befell the team’s closest rivals, a superb decision from the technicians in the pits led to a change in strategy that was crucial in securing victory.
A short pitstop on the four-hour mark enabled Oli to double-stint the McLaren and build a one-lap advantage at the head of the field; a crucial step as - almost uniquely - time gaps, but not lap leads, are eliminated at the six-hour halt of the Gulf 12 Hours.
With a lap’s advantage, Iain was again first behind the wheel as Part Two got underway at sunset and maintained the lead, albeit at a reduced rate of 25 seconds while matched against a highly-experienced professional racer at the head of the challenging pack.
Once Greystone GT’s pro driver Oli - a European Le Mans Series Champion and eight-time Le Mans 24 Hours starter - climbed aboard, the advantage surged past the one-minute mark and Jamie pushed it nearer to two minutes in his next stint, which ended in the ninth hour.
After that the advantage sat somewhere between 90s and two minutes for the remainder of the race; Jamie belying his lack of experience of the GT4 McLaren as the former Scottish Legends Champion took the chequered flag next to joyous scenes on the pitwall.
Not only was it the most prestigious victory to date for Greystone GT - whose race team was formed just over a year ago - but it was also McLaren’s second GT4 victory in the past three runnings of the event and one in which Greystone GT’s car led for over 11 of the 12 hours.
Greystone GT will now focus on finalising a series of race programmes for the 2022 season with news of several exciting line-ups to be announced in the coming weeks.
Iain Campbell said: “I can’t believe it. A year ago I’d only done one car race, and here I am as part of the winning GT4 line-up at the Gulf 12 Hours - my first ever endurance race! The last hour or so in the garage wasn’t at all enjoyable because I was so nervous - I’d much prefer to have been in the car and had something to focus on, but fair play to the team and to Oli and Jamie; everyone did a fantastic job. On pure pace we weren’t quite the fastest here, but everyone knows that in endurance racing you need consistency, strategy and teamwork - something I’ve really seen during the weekend. We were the best in all those areas and that’s what helped us get the win. Plus I was pretty pleased with my start in Part 1 to take the lead. Greystone GT did a fantastic job preparing the car and the team; I’m just so pleased for all of us.”
Jamie Clarke said: “I’m not quite sure what I was expecting from this weekend, but winning my first international race wasn’t it, and it feels amazing. The last stint was pretty nervy; I was suddenly seeing potential hazards at the side of the track that I hadn’t noticed before… But rounding the last corner and seeing the team leaning over the pitwall is when it hits you how many people are involved in this and how this win isn’t just for you; it’s for all of them too. Greystone GT did an amazing job, helped me to slot right in when I’m the new boy here and I’d love to do more races with them in the future if the opportunities are there.”
Oli Webb said: “It’s fantastic to be a part of Greystone GT’s biggest win to date. I did an awful lot of driving - six stints over the two parts of the race - and I certainly spent a lot of energy doing that, but it was worth it. The Aston Martin pushed us hard, but the critical point was getting a lap ahead by the halfway point, because that gave us a bit of leeway in the second half of the race. Iain’s progress since his race debut a year ago has been fantastic and he did a great job in both parts of the race, while Jamie just went from strength to strength. They should both be very proud and so should the whole team. It’s the perfect way to start the season.”
Mark McLoughlin, Team Principal, said: “It’s an unbelievable feeling to come to our first international endurance race - our first ever endurance race in fact - and win, but we did and that’s down to the incredible effort of every single person involved in this programme. Our approach from the very start was to respect the demanding nature of this competition and the team worked tirelessly on preparing the car and crew, the engineering, the strategy; even the logistics of getting the car shipped out early. When we set up the Greystone GT race team just over a year ago, we set ourselves the target of being competitive at the highest level of GT racing globally. This result is our biggest win so far and I hope it shows every member of the team that if they keep doing a brilliant job, the rewards will continue to come. It’s a fantastic day and I’m extremely proud of the team.”
