Racing team Hillspeed set for new chapter as GB4 arrives

John Kirkpatrick, formerly international director of the world-famous Jim Russell Racing Drivers School and to this day still a director of Jim Russell Management Ltd, is well and truly part of the Hillspeed family – identifying and nurturing tremendous young talent on the path towards a professional career in motorsport.

This year marks another new chapter for Hillspeed and British motorsport as a whole, with the arrival of the GB4 Championship as a feeder category for GB3. As a team which always prides itself on first-class driver development and career progression, the ladder of opportunity from GB4 into GB3 is an important one and an area in which Kirkpatrick will again be centrally involved.

He said: “With the arrival of GB4, the aim is to establish a strong ladder to bring drivers through and up into GB3 benefiting from our driver development, bringing them on as well as we can at Hillspeed.

"With the Jim Russell School we built a ladder of progress, now we have a similar MSV established opportunity for youngsters to find their feet, gain experience and graduate to bigger and better things with GB4 and GB3.

“If they have the ability, give them time to grow and learn within a committed and dedicated team like Hillspeed. One of the most important aspects of what we’re offering is the focus we have on the complete package for the driver, putting huge importance on a drivers’ education and their relocation – this makes our offer to drivers much broader than just the racing, looking after them every step of the way.

“Cutter Chaimongkol, as an example, came from Bangkok and I arranged all of his education on behalf of his parents, I looked after all of the logistics and his accommodation through relocation.

"You can’t underestimate the importance of that side of things for young drivers, it’s every bit as important as the racing and does set Hillspeed apart. We’re all looking forward to this new chapter with GB4.”