Having announced their first British GT4 entry last November with Nathan Freke and Anna Walewska joining forces in the #73 University of Bolton entered Ginetta G55 GT4, Century Motorsport have this week confirmed their second title contending pairing for the 2016 season. Aleksander Schjerpen makes a popular return to British GT4 and will be joined by Caterham R300 Superlight graduate Sean Byrne for his first taste of endurance racing.
Schjerpen has been a regular towards the front of British GT4 over the last two seasons, but bad luck has never been far away from the Norwegian. Acting as the lead driver this year due to his Silver categorisation, Schjerpen is hoping to utilise his considerable experience in the series to mount a serious assault on taking the overall championship spoils.
Joining Aleksander will be British GT newcomer Sean Byrne. Having spent the past six seasons racing various specifications of Caterham sportscars to good effect, Byrne has decided to move to endurance racing for a fresh new challenge. A regular at the sharp end of the highly competitive Caterham R300 Superlight field and narrowly missing out on finishing inside the top three in the championship in 2015, Byrne has already impressed the team with his initial pace at a recent Portimao test.
Sean Byrne – #40 Century Motorsport Ginetta G55 GT4:
“I am looking forward to the increased challenge and a more competitive championship this year in British GT. It’s a great opportunity to learn a new car and also a new style of racing. Having done my research on the front running teams in GT4 racing, Century Motorsport came out as the strongest team. Following on from the initial contact and our test at Portimao, I have been impressed by their professionalism and approach. Aleksander has significant experience being with the team and championship for the last two years. I hope to learn a lot from him to enable me to get up to speed and create a good partnership.”
Aleksander Schjerpen – #40 Century Motorsport Ginetta G55 GT4:
“Last year had its ups and down for us, we were unlucky at some of the race weekends, but we had good pace in the car. We were able to get a double podium at Snetterton, which was the highlight of our results.”
“Century Motorsport did a great job, and I am very pleased and happy to be able to continue working with them. They are great to work with, and we share the same goals and passion. We started 2016 off winning the SP3 class in the Dubai 24-hour, now we obviously want to win the British GT championship in 2016. We are not alone with that goal, so it will be an exciting year. “
“I am really looking forward to working with my new co-driver Sean. He is learning the car really quickly and we are working well together.”
“I’ve got a lot more track time in the car at this stage compared to last year, so I hope that will make us really strong from the start at Brands Hatch.”
Nathan Freke – Team Principal, Century Motorsport:
“I’m delighted that Century Motorsport is back in British GT4 with a two car team again this season. Not only that, but I really believe we have two cars that can run at the front and challenge for the championship title. We are delighted to welcome Sean to the team, and already he has impressed at our first test in Portimao. Aleksander is making a very welcome return to the team, and having played a big part in helping us to win our class at the 24 Hours of Dubai in January, I really feel this is going to be a big year for him this season. He’s faster than ever, and is the perfect partner for someone new like Sean.”