2015 British GT4 champion Jamie Chadwick will return to the championship again in 2016 with a new team mate, The great British Bake off’s Paul Hollywood.
Chadwick took the title last season alongside Ross Gunn. They were the youngest ever champions and Jamie herself was the first female to win a British GT title.
Hollywood’s tv commitments mean he is unable to race in the championship before Spa so a title defence from Chadwick is sadly impossible. This however suits Chadwick as the 17 year old has commitments of her own in education.
Chadwick explains;
“Andew [Howard] and I originally discussed racing with Paul at the end of last season, and when it became clear that I should be concentrating on my A-Levels that made perfect sense,” said the two-time British GT race winner. “You always want to be out in the car but my priorities lie elsewhere this year, at least until exams are over!
“Paul’s obviously been around the team for a year now and our paths did cross last season despite him racing elsewhere. Having said that, the recent pre-season test at Valencia was the first time that we really got to know each other and I had a chance to work with him.”
The Duo will compete in three rounds together, after Spa they will also contest Snetterton as well as the season Finale at Donington Park. Despite having no chance to mount a title defence, Chadwick is still keen to compete;
“Obviously there’s no chance to defend the title this year but I still feel incredibly motivated,” she said. “Last season was about working as a Silver/Silver partnership in which both drivers had the experience to win races. This time I definitely feel a responsibility as the Pro in the line-up to bring Paul on and lead from the front. That sounds a little odd when you consider our respective ages but it’s a role I’m relishing and one that’s worked well so far. It also really helps that Paul’s very receptive and eager to learn quickly.”
So where does she think they’ll be able to finish in the very strong GT4 field?
“It’s difficult to set goals because we’ll be in at the deep end!” added Chadwick. “GT4 is incredibly competitive, most of the field will have a half-season head-start and Paul’s never raced at this level before, so we’re not getting ahead of ourselves. I think we’ll be happy with a couple of top-six results.”
Beachdean will have three cars in British GT this season. Fellow GT4 champion Ross Gunn moves up to GT3 with team boss Andrew Howard whilst the other GT4 car will be driven by Jack Bartholomew and Jordan Albert. They have a tough task to follow Chadwick and Gunn’s incredible record breaking 2015 season. By Marc Waller
