European racetracks beckon for promising southern teenager

Promising 19-year-old driver Harry McDonald’s career has accelerated with his re-signing for the 2023 GT4 Scandinavia series that will take him to famed European tracks.

Otautau-based for the past four years, McDonald was born and raised in Christchurch and educated at Shirley Boys’ High School.

Racing since 2019, he was earlier signed for by Toyota Gazoo Racing Sweden for three rounds of this year’s series.

That mid-season contract was ‘‘a trial, if you like’’ he said, and the result was that he and co-driver Tommy Gratberg, of Sweden, finished with three podium finishes from six starts.

To have been re-signed for next year’s full five-round season a real privilege – ‘‘something I have dreamed about for years’’, he said.

The series is for GT4 Grand Tourismo factory-built track day cars that have FIA-approved modifications so that competition performance is similar, whatever the brand.

It’s a competition based around endurance, with compulsory pit stops and driver changes.

Compared to his New Zealand experience, the European circuits ‘‘require a lot more commitment at high speed, while racing door to door for position. A bit of luck is required too.’’

Racing the Toyota GR Supra GT4 was itself a big step up from anything he’d experienced before; 430hp with a seven-speed paddle shift gearbox, the cars have ‘‘tremendous grip’’ with speeds topping 260kmh.

Pre-season testing in France starts in April and the series gets under way mid-May in Sweden before two rounds which also double as part of the GT4 European Championship at Circuit Paul Ricard in France in June, and Circuit de Spa Francorchamps in Belgium in July, before the final two rounds in Norway in August and Sweden,. October-November.

Meantime there’s the small matter of fundraising, never easy and all the harder in the current business environment, he said.

‘‘Part of my racing is subsidised (but) we still have a considerable budget to raise for me to be based in Europe for the six months.’’

He also faces a busy summer in New Zealand, racing with Auckland-based Team Kiwi Racing in the BMW Drivers Championship

In the meantime he’s earning extra with his day job working with more ponderous vehicles – operating heavy machinery for Ray Stewart’s Italian Gully Ltd near Otautau.

And this weekend he’ll be tearing around his familiar Teretonga track , where like so many other racers he started in kartsport.

Most of his Formula open racing has been in the North Island, ‘‘but I’m a full member of the Southland Car Club’’.