Family-run team Abba Racing are returning to the Intelligent Money British GT Championship in 2021 with an unchanged driver line-up featuring father and son duo Richard and Sam Neary. They are the first entry into British GT’s new Silver-Am class, which replaces the Silver Cup from next season.
Neary Senior returns for his sixth consecutive season and fifth with the Mercedes-AMG GT3, which once again will run without the Evo upgrade.
He’s joined by his son Sam. The 18-year-old impressed in his rookie season, standing out in wet and changeable conditions as his pace was comparable with far more experienced factory drivers, while his pace in the dry also took a notable step forward as the season progressed.
The best result taken by the father-son pairing was a sixth place finish at Donington and 11th place in the overall GT3 standings. Second at Oulton Park in 2019 when Richard shared the Mercedes-AMG with Adam Christodoulou remains the team’s best-ever result.
Abba Racing team-owner Richard Neary aims to improve on that in 2021 and shoot for the Silver-Am title.
“We’re part of the furniture in British GT these days so it’s great to be back with an unchanged line-up and car, and an opportunity to fight for a class title in 2021,” said Richard Neary. “Last year was all about getting Sam up to speed and he surpassed our expectations. Ultimately, we’re here to have fun but we’re also ready to hit the ground running and ruffle a few feathers at the front!
“We had a chance to upgrade to the Evo kit but are really comfortable with what we already have and would rather not introduce something that requires more testing and development to be fully optimised. Our pace wasn’t far off RAM’s Pro-Am champions last year, and Sam compared very well against Yelmer Buurman, so I don’t see a need to chase incremental improvements while we’re still unlocking our own potential.”
Sam added: “British GT was a blast this year and quite a step up compared to my previous racing experience. So, personally, it was nice to show what I could do while also improving as the season progressed. We’re not expecting miracles – the difference in experience and resources between us and the bigger teams is clear – but Silver-Am gives us something tangible to fight for while also targeting a first overall podium with my old man.”
The nine-race 2021 Intelligent Money British GT Championship begins at Oulton Park with a doubleheader on April 3rd and 5th.
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