Black Bull Ecurie Ecosse GT4 29 | 04 | 2016
TWO OF SCOTLAND'S brightest young motorsport talents, 19-year-old Ciaran Haggerty from Johnstone, and 16-year-old Sandy Mitchell from Letham, will fire-up their Black Bull Ecurie Ecosse McLaren 570S GT4 (pictured) for the second round of the British GT Championship at Rockingham this weekend.
The talented young duo, who made an impressive sportscar debut in the opening round at Brands Hatch a fortnight ago, aim to build on that experience as they make their mark in one of the most highly competitive GT championships in the world.
Related: Black Bull Ecurie Ecosse GT3 Rockingham preview
“They both learned a huge amount from Brands Hatch,” Black Bull Ecurie Ecosse director, Alasdair McCaig, said. “They were both in their first endurance race, so it was a big learning curve.
“It was the first time they’d ever had to handle a pitstop, driver change, refuelling and wheel changes, plus dealing with communications from the car to the pits over the radio, and two different classes of cars racing on the circuit at the same time.
“And given the dramatic incidents which happened in the race, they also had to deal with Safety Cars and full course yellow periods.
“That was all a huge amount for them to take in, so they’ve already learned a huge amount from that. They both coped extremely well, and head to Rockingham with a better knowledge of what to expect.”
And McCaig is quick to highlight it’s a big step-up for the young pair as they prepare to pilot the Black Bull Ecurie Ecosse McLaren 570S GT4 at Rockingham.
“They’re racing in one of the most highly competitive GT championships in the world, so it’s tough,” McCaig continued. “But they’ve already proved they can cope with the pressure.
“Before Brands Hatch, neither of them had done a one-hour racing stint before, because they both came from single-seaters, which essentially compete in much shorter sprint races.
“The guys have already tested the McLaren at Rockingham, and were impressive, so we’re confident they’ll continue their progress this weekend.”
Related: Young Scots join Black Bull Ecurie Ecosse
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Jim McGill