Fox Motorsport will return to British GT full-time this year after confirming a brand-new Mercedes-AMG GT4 to be driven by Mark Murfitt and Michael Broadhurst.
The Malden-based squad are the first British GT entry to publically confirm a Mercedes-AMG, which made its customer debut at the 24 Hours of COTA late last season.
But while the car is undoubtedly new, Fox Motorsport can call on plenty of previous British GT experience. The team last contested a GT4 round at Donington Park in 2016 after another one-off GT3 outing, this time at Silverstone, resulted in an overall podium. However, this year will be the first since 2015 that it has committed to a full-season campaign.
The team is also no stranger to its Pro/Am pairing Murfitt and Broadhurst who finished sixth in GT Cup’s 2017 GTA (GT4) standings driving a Fox-prepared Ginetta and Porsche.
While Murfitt’s experience also extends to Britcar and Allcomers outings, Broadhurst holds the distinction of winning British GT’s very first GT4 race when he and Joe Osborne triumphed at Oulton Park in 2008. He is also a race winner in the European GT4 Cup and in the Radical Enduro and Ginetta G20 series.
“I’ve been buzzing ever since I was told about the plans to return to British GT and I can’t wait to get going,” said Broadhurst. “I’ve been away from British GT for a few years so it feels great to be back. If the performance of Mercedes’ recent GT3 cars are anything to go by, the GT4 is going to be an awesome piece of kit, and while it will be a challenge to learn the car in such a short space of time, the team at Fox is hugely-experienced and will do a strong job.
“I’ve won in GT4 cars in British GT and in Europe, so I know what it takes to get the job done, and Mark’s driving has come on in leaps and bounds since the start of 2017, so I’m sure we can surprise a few people.”
Murfitt, meanwhile, is confident of making the step-up to British GT4 after only one season of racing.
“I’m incredibly excited to be moving up to the British GT Championship and can’t wait to get on-track with the Mercedes,” he said. “In terms of prestige cars and driver quality, British GT is the best series in the country. While this opportunity presents a personal challenge in only my second year of racing, I couldn’t be in a better environment to make the step up.
“Fox Motorsport are race-winners in British GT4 and have an incredible amount of experience and knowledge. Michael’s been a superb teacher too, so I’m delighted to be continuing my driving partnership with him.”
Team Principal Paul McNeilly, himself a former British GT driver with Fox, is also excited to be returning after spending several seasons promoting young talent in the junior sportscar ranks.
“It feels fantastic to be back in the British GT Championship full-time after two years away,” he said. “GT4 is the fastest-growing category in sportscar racing right now and there’s more excitement within the team than at any time in the past few years. We’ve had wins in two different British GT classes and have a lot of experience within the team from other series, so we’re optimistic of being able to do a strong job.
“It’s our first time working with Mercedes-AMG Customer Racing and the level of support we’ve received has been excellent. Michael’s a proven race-winner at this level while Mark is a very fast learner and has developed his skills magnificently since making his race debut last year. We can’t wait to get started.”
