WYLIE CONTINUES IMPRESSIVE RISE UP MOTOR RACING RANKS
Scottish youngster to race for reigning British GT Champions in 2014
Ross Wylie continues his impressive progression up the motor racing “ladder” after being snapped up by reigning British GT Champions Beechdean Motorsport for 2014.
The 22-year-old from Thornhill near Dumfries will pilot an Aston Martin Vantage in the GT4 category of this year’s 10-race British GT series.
2014 marks only Wylie’s third full season of motor racing after eight years in karting and Ross is excited to be moving his career forward once more with a respected team that swept fellow Scot Jonny Adam to the BGT title last year.
“I’m really excited to be joining Beechdean and racing an Aston Martin Vantage which will be very, very cool,” confirmed Ross.
“Beechdean are the reigning British GT champions and have decided to run in the GT4 category for the first time and that’s the class I’ll be contesting for them.”
Wylie claimed extremely creditable fifth and sixth positions in the final standings of the Volkswagen Scirocco Junior R-Cup and Volkswagen Racing Cup last year.
Having not raced on 10 of the 11 tracks Ross visited last year, the talented Scotsman nevertheless chalked up six top-six (Junior) placings in the German series and the same number in the UK-based championship – including a combined four wins.
Ross continued: “Racing in BGT will be a completely different adventure for me. The races are much longer in duration and feature two drivers, the Aston will have much more power than I have ever had at my disposal previously while I’ve never raced a rear-wheel-drive car.
“I’ve not ‘shared’ my racecar with another driver and it’s vital that my co-driver Jake Giddings and I work well together.
“It is hard to say where we will position ourselves without being out on track but I am confident with this team around me, we can challenge for GT4 class honours. I certainly won’t be racing to make up the numbers.”
Andrew Howard, who established Buckinghamshire-based Beechdean Motorsport in 2001 and won the 2013 BGT “crown” along with Adam, commented: “Beechdean AMR is very excited about running an Aston Martin Vantage GT4 in the 2014 British GT Championship. We have a new driver line up of Ross and Jake Giddings, both are new to GT racing but bring great potential to a rapidly growing category.
“Beechdean started its Aston Martin journey in the GT4 Vantage, winning at FIA GT4 level and the 2007 Britcar 24 hour race, so it’s great to return with the 100th Vantage GT4.
“Whilst it’s going to be a challenge for Jake and Ross racing against some very experienced competitors, we do believe they both have the potential to follow in the footsteps of Aston Martin accomplished racing drivers such as Jonny Adam. We are looking forward to starting our testing programme and then the first race at Oulton Park at Easter.”
Wylie hopes to begin testing the Aston for the first time next month while the opening rounds of the series take place at Oulton Park, Cheshire, on Easter Monday (21 April).
“My ambition is to one day race at Le Mans and hopefully follow in the footsteps of fellow Dumfries driver Allan McNish,” concluded Wylie. “Jonny [Adam] is now a ‘factory’ Aston Martin driver and his career path is certainly one I’d like to follow.”
