Having finished the 2021 season in second place overall, Ian Loggie is returning to the Intelligent Money British GT Championship with his eyes on the top prize in 2022. Returning with the RAM Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3, the Scotsman has a new partner for 2022 with French ace Jules Gounon joining him on track.
Having won back to back Pro-Am titles in 2020 and 2021 with Yelmer Buurman, this year could go Loggie’s way after a consistent record last year which saw a number of podiums and one overall win at Snetterton. Gounon, meanwhile, will contest all but two of this year’s meetings with commitments elsewhere, including in the GT World Challenge Europe, meaning that RAM will be looking for a replacement driver to stand in.
ADAC GT Masters champion in Germany in 2017, Gounon has been a winner in both the Spa 24 Hours and Bathurst 12 Hour, raced for both Bentley and Mercedes-AMG, and last year helped the AKKA ASP team to second overall in the GT World Challenge Europe standings.
Their #6 Mercedes-AMG GT3 will continue to carry the colours of Cure Leukaemia, the Blood Cancer Charity.
Loggie hopes that the arrival of Gounon for much of the season can give the #6 Mercedes-AMG the edge to get the job done in the outright championship this year.
Ian Loggie said: “Now this is a championship season that I’m looking forward to! Looking at the entry list so far, I’m sure the competition will be even fiercer than in years gone past. This has been a championship where the quality of teams and drivers has continued to get stronger year on year. I’m really looking forward to partnering with Jules this year. In the GT3 world he’s one of the best around and is well known for both his speed and commitment to winning. RAM Racing is a very experienced team that has such a dedication to turning out a faultless piece of machinery. This year I believe we have ‘the magic sauce’ ingredients to become overall British GT champions.”
Jules Gounon said: “I’m really looking forward to getting involved with British GT this year. I love Pro-Am racing. I haven’t done a proper Pro-Am series since 2017 and it’s a totally different atmosphere to the Pro-only stuff. I also really enjoy working with the amateur drivers. I like learning all about their stories away from the track and I really enjoy the coaching role, helping to bring them on. I know that with Ian I have one of the best amateurs on the grid to work with. I’m also really looking forward to the British circuits.
“I’ve only actually ever driven Brands Hatch and Silverstone, so I’ll have a fair bit of learning to do myself and I love the challenge of that after so long racing the same tracks. I’m excited for ones like Donington Park and Oulton Park as I know all about them, but I’ve never driven them! It’s a shame there are clashing events that will spoil my own championship chances, but my entire goal is to help Ian and RAM win the British GT title this year.”
RAM Racing team principal Dan Shufflebottom added: “It’s great to have our first driver pairing confirmed for British GT, and the second car isn’t far off. It’ll be great to be back up to two cars in the championship as it gives us the chance to fight for both the drivers’ and teams’ titles this year.
“When it comes to the drivers’ title, Ian knows this championship inside out by now, and he was incredibly unlucky not to win it last year. He has the speed and the consistency, and with a driver like Jules alongside him it will hopefully be the final piece of the puzzle this year. It will be great to have Jules with us. He’s a mega talent and knows so much about the AMG GT3, so he should make a great addition to the team. It’s a shame that missing two rounds will rule him out of the championship, but we shouldn’t have much trouble finding a suitable stand-in to share with Ian for those rounds.”
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