Young Scots duo join Ecurie Ecosseposted in GT23 | 03 | 2016
ECURIE ECOSSE WILL give two of Scotland's brightest young motorsport talents, Sandy Mitchell and Ciaran Haggerty, their sports car debut in this year's British GT4 Championship.
The talented duo will also spearhead development of McLaren's new 570S GT4 challenger by contesting all nine rounds of the highly competitive championship.
Mitchell, from Letham in Angus, is set to become the youngest driver in history to compete in British GT having only turned 16 this month.
The former karting champ moved up to single-seaters in last year's MSA Formula, winning two races and finishing seventh in his rookie year.
BRDC F4 graduate, 19-year-old Haggerty, from Johnstone, first came to the team’s attention after winning the 2014 Scottish FF1600 Championship under the watchful eye of three-time Indy 500 winner and four-time IndyCar champ, Dario Franchitti. The Bathgate racer has supported the Young Driver Initiative since its inception as a platform to nurture Scottish talent in motorsport.
Mitchell and Haggerty will share a 3.8-litre twin-turbo V8 engined McLaren which will be the first homologated GT4 car to run with a carbon fibre tub.
Related: Ecurie Ecosse switches to McLaren
"Sandy is a very talented single seater driver who competed in MSA Formula last year and I'm very fortunate to have him as my team-mate," Haggerty said.
"We've already been involved in some pre-season testing and everything is looking really positive for the year ahead. We both have a strong desire to succeed and can't wait for the opening round at Brands Hatch next month."
And Mitchell was equally delighted to join the iconic Ecurie Ecosse team.
"I'm naturally very excited to be racing with Black Bull Ecurie Ecosse in 2016, and to be driving the first-ever McLaren 570S GT4 car in the British GT Championship," the youngster admitted. "It's a real privilege, and it's a fantastic car. I'm really looking forward to working alongside Ciaran and the team."
Earlier this month Ecurie Ecosse announced Black Bull as its title sponsor, and confirmed it will enter a McLaren 650S GT3 for Rob Bell and Alasdair McCaig in the British GT Championship.
Today's announcement was welcomed by Andrew Kirkaldy, managing director, McLaren GT.
“The decision to run the two Ecurie Ecosse Young Drivers was a very easy one," St Andrews-born Kirkaldy said. "We conducted some pre-season testing and it was very clear from the outset that both Haggerty and Mitchell are stars of the future.
"Their pace and feedback is very good and of a level that we are comfortable with, showing that they are ready for the challenge. Having Rob in the same team will be a great asset for them to use and we hope to see some good results for the new model.”
The new young duo were also welcomed to the Black Bull Ecurie Ecosse team by boss Hugh McCaig.
“It's a fantastic feeling to see two of Scotland’s young superstars take the next step in to top-level GT racing,"McCaig said. "I am sure the GT4 category will be an ideal platform for Ciaran and Sandy to demonstrate their talent with the support of the Ecurie Ecosse Young Drivers Initiative.”
Related: Scot Ross Wylie returns to Aston Martin
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Jim McGill
Caption: Scots teenage racers Ciaran Haggerty (left) and Sandy Mitchell to spearhead Ecurie Ecosse entry in McLaren GT4 British GT