Lamborghini factory and former champ, Scot Sandy Mitchell, will return to
the British GT Championship in 2024. The 23-year-old from Forfar will again
play a key role in the two-car assault by Barwell Motorsport.
Mitchell, personally-backed by Huntly-based Black Bull Scotch Whisky, and
Tunnocks, will pilot the No78 Lamborghini Huracan GT3 Evo2. This season he will
also forge a new driver partnership, teaming up with experienced racer Alex
Martin.
The Englishman has raced successfully in championships including the Porsche
Carrera Cup GB, Ferrari Challenge, and the British Touring Car Championship. In
2023 Martin raced a Porsche 911 GT3 R in the Le Mans Cup series and the
Silverstone three-hour race in the British GT Championship.
He also completed an intensive test in the Lamborghini, alongside Mitchell, at
Snetterton last autumn and will now contest the full 2024 season with the Scot.
And Mitchell can’t wait to return to action as he bids to win his second title.
“It’s great to be back in British GT this year, and I can’t wait to start
working with Alex because I think we’ll be a really exciting pairing,”
Mitchell, a member of the British Racing Drivers’ Club, stated. “And I think
our car looks great with its new Black Bull and Dextra livery.
“Alex made a successful return to racing last year in Europe and I have no
doubt he’ll get straight back up to speed on the British tracks too. We know
Barwell will always give us a car capable of running at the front, so it’s up
to us to get the most out of the package we have.”
Mitchell and Martin form one half of Barwell’s two-car assault on the British
GT Championship this year, with the sister No63 Lamborghini being driven by
father and son duo, Rob and Ricky Collard. Collard Snr shared the #78 car with
Mitchell when the pairing won the championship in 2020.
“This year will be my seventh season both with Barwell, and driving a
Lamborghini,” Mitchell, who has already contested the Daytona 24Hrs race in
Florida this year, continued, “and it’s great to see the team with two
incredibly strong line-ups.
“Every year British GT just gets tougher and tougher, with the level of
drivers, cars and teams continuing to get higher. We’ve some of the fastest GT3
drivers in the world fighting for the championship this year, so Alex and I
know we’re in for a heck of a fight. But we’re well up for it.
“As a team we made a huge amount of progress with the Huracan GT3 Evo 2 last
year. We were learning a lot about what was a brand new race car at the start
of the 2023 season. That development continued and by the end of the season we
were one of the fastest cars out there, winning the season finale at Donington
Park.
“It’s always great to win the last race of the year and we took that high into
the winter break. Backed by the strength of the guys in the Barwell team, we’re
determined to build on that momentum and hit the ground running from the first
race this year.”
The nine-race endurance series, held over seven weekends between March and
September at the UK’s iconic tracks, including Silverstone, Brands Hatch,
Donington and Snetterton — plus a two-hour race at Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium
— gets underway with two 60-minutes races at Oulton Park on April 1, Easter
Monday.
Mitchell’s commitment to the 2024 British GT Championship was welcomed by Ian
Logan, Senior Hospitality and Spirits Manager for Black Bull Scotch Whisky.
“Barwell have pulled together an incredible line-up of drivers for the season
ahead and whilst we know Sandy’s capabilities and determination to succeed,
it’s great to see Alex Martin added to the experienced team,” Logan said.
Mitchell, meanwhile, can’t wait to get his 2024 British GT campaign started.
“Every weekend this year in the championship promises to be hugely intensive,”
the 2020 champ said, “with thrilling, high-speed action-packed races. I know
what it feels like to win the British GT Championship and I’ve come close again
over the last three years. In partnership with Alex, I’m determined to do
everything I can to make sure I win it again in 2024.”