Team Parker Racing have confirmed their return to the Intelligent Money British GT Championship with a Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport RS. The team have signed former GT4 champion Daniel Vaughan and rookie Zac Meakin for the campaign which starts at Oulton Park on Easter weekend.
Daniel Vaughan comes to the season as the experienced hand in the team, despite not racing since clinching the title at the 2020 Silverstone Showdown. Vaughan shared with Jamie Caroline en route to the championship, piloting an Aston Martin V8 Vantage AMR GT4 from TF Sport.
This year’s car couldn’t be much more different with a 4.0l flat six engine behind the driver as opposed to the Mercedes sourced V8 under the bonnet of the Aston Martin. However, Vaughan spent two years in the Porsche Carrera Cup GB prior to his time in British GT so he is familiar with the Stuttgart brand.
“I’m really excited to be back racing and I can’t wait to get going,” the former champ told BritishGT.com. “The British GT Championship is really competitive, so it will be nice to be back in the paddock and there are a few new things to keep it interesting.
“I’ve competed against Team Parker Racing in the Porsche Carrera Cup GB, I know what a capable squad they are, and I really like the way they approach racing. I met Zac the other day, he’s a nice kid and it’s clear he’s got a lot of talent, so we should be a good pairing.“
The big change to this years calendar, the dropping of Spa Speedweek in favour of a stand alone event at Autodromo Internacional do Algarve at Portimao, will be something of a homecoming for Vaughan:
“I lived in the Algarve for a few years when I was younger, so it will be nice to go back, although I’ve never driven the Portimão circuit. The Cayman GT4 will be new to me but it’s a nicely balanced car and the team have had a year of working with it, so I’ve no doubt that it will be competitive.”
Zac Meakin added, “It’ll be great to hit the track with Team Parker Racing after a strong result in the Porsche Sprint Challenge Southern Europe. I learnt a lot competing in those two race events and will look to apply that to the upcoming British GT Championship. There are obvious differences between European and British tracks, but I’m hopeful my previous experience racing in the Ginetta Junior Championship will fare me well.”
The violently visible Team Parker Racing Porsche and the new driver line up, which with Zac Meakin aboard includes 2023’s youngest competitor by almost a year, will make its debut at Media Day on Tuesday. Then all attention will turn to Oulton Park for the first two rounds of the championship on an undulating circuit with a couple of big stops, which will no doubt suit the mid-rear arrangement of the Porsche very well.
