Team Brit

Team BRIT drives forward towards Le Mans goal with unveiling of McLaren GT4.

Team BRIT’s goal of making motorsport history at the Le Mans 24 Hours moved closer last autumn when it unveiled its car for the 2022 season - a brand new McLaren 570S GT4.

The team aims to be the first ever all-disabled team to compete in the iconic endurance race and last year announced plans to enter the British GT Championship in 2022. The car the team will race was unveiled to sponsors and supporters last October at an event hosted by team title sponsor, BRIT Insurance.

The McLaren is a full competition specification GT4 car featuring a feather-light carbon fibre construction. Power comes from a 3.8 litre twin-turbocharged McLaren V8 engine, linked to a race-ready seven-speed transmission.

Words: Jack Sunderland Photographs: Team BRIT / McLaren

The team’s world-leading racing hand controls were fitted to the car to enable paraplegic driver, Aaron Morgan, to compete on equal terms with ablebodied competitors. He teams up with the world’s fastest autistic racing driver, 22-year-old Bobby Trundley. Bobby and Aaron stunned competitors on the track in 2021 in the Britcar Endurance Championship, scoring numerous podiums and an overall finish position of 3rd in class. The announcement adds a further step to the ladder of motorsport development on offer, through the team for disabled drivers. With Bobby and Aaron competing in British GT this year, drivers Andy Tucker and Luke Pound, step up to the team’s Aston Martin V8 Vantage GT4 in the British Endurance Championship.

Joining the grid for the first time will be new drivers, Chris Overend and James Whitley, who will compete in the Britcar Trophy Championship in the BMW M240i. Also hoping to race this year will be rookie drivers Tyrone Mathurin, Anji Silva-Vagdama and Paul Fullick, who have each started their rookie development programmes.

In addition, disabled drivers looking to experience the thrill of the race track can book onto track sessions though the team’s Racing Academy.

Team Founder Dave Player confirms: “This is a milestone moment for our team and something we have worked tirelessly to achieve. Our plans have always been bold, ambitious and beyond belief for many, but we know we will achieve our goal of reaching Le Mans. On top of that, we are making changes to motorsport that are crucial for true accessibility.

“Our entry into British GT means we’re racing in the highest level of endurance racing in the UK and the most iconic British championship. This year we aim to acquire our GT3 car which we will race in British GT and European Le Mans in 2023 before aiming for Le Mans in 2024.

“The strength of our intent should not be underestimated. We will do this and we will make history. Our work does not end there, we’re welcoming more and more disabled drivers into motorsport through our Racing Academy and through entry level racing. This is something we will continue for years to come, building a truly accessible ladder of opportunity for disabled drivers. This is the Team BRIT legacy we’re so proud to have created.”

Gareth Dunsmore, Chief Marketing Officer, McLaren Automotive Ltd said: “I am delighted to welcome Team BRIT to the McLaren family and to the 570S GT4. Their bold and innovative approach as a racing team is helping increase access to racing, which is hugely inspiring and demonstrates what can be achieved in the competitive world of motorsport. I look forward to following their progress this year in British GT.”