Matt Bell will team up with Derek Johnston aboard a TF Sport Aston Martin Vantage GT3 for a full season in the hugely competitive Championship next year.
“I have been speaking to Derek for a while now about racing with him,” said Matt. “He tried out a few different GT3 cars for 2015 and he kindly invited me along to all of the tests (Matt is pictured below testing the TF Sport Aston Martin). I’m really happy that he chose the Aston Martin as I was hugely impressed with the car. It is very fast in a straight line and has excellent levels of grip. I was able to get a good time out of it after doing only four laps so I was very pleased.”
This year’s British GT Championship looked promising for Matt. He and his team mate, Mark Patterson, were often very fast in their United Autosports run Audi but it became a year to forget with many retirements through no fault of their own. In 2015 Matt will start afresh with Derek and he’s looking forward to the new partnership.
Today’s announcement makes TF Sport the first British GT entrant to reveal its 2015 GT3 driver line-up.
Johnston, aged 52 from Newcastle, won the 2009 Radical European Master Series and made a successful transition to GT racing, a spell in the Pirelli Ferrari Challenge acting as a precursor to race wins in the Ferrari 458 Challenge and a GT Cup title win in 2012.
“I’m really excited about joining the TF Sport fold and, while I had a large list of possibilities and it took a long time to consider the options, everything slotted into place quite naturally,” said Johnston. “I really liked what I saw and heard from Tom (Ferrier) and I respect the job he has done to build TF Sport, putting together a superb team of mechanics and engineers and creating a very professional outfit. I briefly tested the works Aston Martin last year and this year’s test with TF Sport at Donington Park was positive. The V12 Vantage GT3 is a very nice car to drive and it gives you the feeling that you’re in something special. Tom’s hopes and ambitions are the same as mine – to achieve podiums and race wins – and, having had a couple of difficult seasons in British GT, I think we have all the ingredients to achieve our goals in 2015, particularly with Matt (Bell) aboard.”
TF Sport Director, Tom Ferrier, said: “Everyone at TF Sport is over the moon about this new driver partnership for the 2015 Avon Tyres British GT Championship. Derek (Johnston) is definitely one of the quickest Am drivers on the scene and Matt (Bell) is at the top of his game as a professional driver too. Without a doubt, TF Sport’s aim is to win races and I’m sure, with the support of Aston Martin Racing, we can do that and hopefully more. We cannot wait to get started with our pre-season testing programme!”
John Gaw, the Team Principal at Aston Martin Racing was pleased to learn of Matt’s appointment and he had this to say about Aston Martin customer team, TF Sport’s chances in 2015.
“This is a very exciting pairing to have in an Aston for British GT 2015 and with TF Sport running the car they have a real chance to be right at the front,” said Gaw. “Matt and I first met the year we had his brother Rob as a factory driver for Le Mans and we have had many discussions so it’s great to see him now drive an Aston, and its third time lucky with Derek as this is the third year I have tried to convince him he can win in the Aston. Knowing him and reading an interview with him published last year I think everyone knows he only goes racing to win. Exactly then the type of paring that all the team at Banbury want to see racing the Vantage GT3. We wish them and TF all the best with this venture and look forward to celebrating some wins with them.”
British GT Championship Manager, Benjamin Franassovici, added: “Tom Ferrier’s team has done an amazing job this season with Paul Bailey and Andy Schulz in GT3, and Andrew Jarman and Devon Modell very nearly clinching the GT4 title in their first season. I expect Derek (Johnston) and Matt (Bell) to be a very quick in GT3; Derek is a racer and Matt has come close to taking the GT3 crown in the past, so I think they will definitely be a title contender for next year. On the team front, TF Sport reflects what British GT is all about; professional racing but, at the same time, an approachable, impeccable presentation. Tom and his team are a pleasure to work with. And I’m even starting to get used to Derek’s foreign accent.”
