Brandon McCaughan became the second winner of the GB4 Shoot Out earlier this week, and the Irish racer is now putting plans together to confirm his place on the grid for the 2024 season.
After two race-winning seasons in the National Formula Ford Championship, the 19-year-old had been eyeing a move up the ladder, but winning the Shoot Out means he now has an easier pathway to continue racing in the UK.
“I’ve always had one goal, which is to progress up the single-seater ladder, whether that be in America and going the IndyCar route, or staying into Europe and continuing through to GB3 maybe in the following years," he said
“Winning the Shoot Out has definitely helped me to get that foot up. It should hopefully make it all happen now.”
As a result of winning the Shoot Out, McCaughan will receive a £20,000 contribution towards his GB4 campaign in 2024, from series organisers MotorSport Vision. He’s hoping to combine that with additional investment from his loyal supporters, to give him the best competitive chance possible.
“I have partners from this year that will be staying on board, but this [Shoot Out prize] is a great help to get me on the grid.
“It takes a good chunk of the work away trying to find the money from somewhere. It should also help with increasing my profile, it’s something to put on the CV and hopefully attract more support.”
Should he complete his work behind the scenes, McCaughan is hoping to confirm his plans before the New Year celebrations, and could add to his end of year prize haul in the coming weeks.
“There’s a couple of teams that have already been in touch with me, so I’ll get in touch with them to start figuring out budgets.
“I’ve let all my sponsors know the good news, and I’ve also been nominated for the Sexton Trophy [awarded to the Young Irish Racing Driver of the Year], and that could be even more of a help if I won that as it also comes with a financial package.
“So we’re going to be getting to work now before Christmas to get a deal done.”
