Racing driver Michael Macpherson makes successful debut in British GT Endurance Championships with podium place
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Black Isle-based 21-year-old racing driver Michael Macpherson made a hugely impressive debut on his move up into the 2022 British GT Endurance Championship at the Silverstone Grand Prix circuit last weekend.
In December 2021 Macpherson was chosen along with 120 other drivers to compete in a scholarship competition run by current British Touring Car champions Team Hard at Blyton Circuit for a £150,000 fully funded prize drive in the 2022 Ginetta GT4 Supercup as part of the British Touring Car Championship.
Qualifying as one of 12 drivers to go through to the finals held at Brands Hatch Circuit in January, he was then chosen to be one of three drivers to compete that day in a shoot-out for the prize drive, where he narrowly missed out on first place as runner up.
Initial plans were put in place for Macpherson to drive the Team Hard VW Golf Cup car in the Britcar Trophy Championship, but a last-minute call up into the Team Hard Ginetta GT4 on the eve of the opening three-hour endurance race at Silverstone resulted in Macpherson qualifying fifth in the GT4 class and 28th overall on the grid.
The team elected to have Macpherson take the start and drive the first one-hour stint of the race. A fabulous opening three laps saw him storm through the pack of more powerful GT3 machinery into 10th place.
He had risen to second place in the GT4 class before pitting and handing the car over to his teammates.
A fantastic performance by the team over the remaining two hours resulted in a third-place podium finish for Team Hard’s first foray into the British GT Endurance Championship.
Macpherson will return for the next round of the championships at the Oulton Park Circuit in Cheshire on April 2.
He said: “Having initially been hugely disappointed to have come so close to winning the GT4 Supercup Scholarship it was then fantastic to be picked up by Team Hard for their Driver Academy and to be chosen to drive their VW Golf Cup car in the Britcar Trophy Championship.
“I was on my way down to Silverstone when I got the call that I was being promoted up. So I was in their Ginetta GT4 car for the inaugural British GT Endurance Championship race at Silverstone.
“I was delighted to put in such a strong showing in the car and help get Team Hard their first silverware of 2022 and first podium in British GT Endurance.”
