Abba Racing plus Richard and Sam Neary are set to return to the British GT Championship in 2025 for their sixth season together.
This year the team is shifting to the Pro-Am category following Sam’s FIA re-grading over the winter. As a gold driver he is
now unable to contest British GT’s Silver-Am class, as he had since 2021.
The team’s trusty Mercedes-AMG GT3 will also feature a revised livery. Abba used various combinations of black and green from its championship debut in 2015 through until last year, and while those elements will remain in some form there will also be a ‘gold sparkle’ added to the ensemble.
The updated design will make its debut during testing in late February.
The Nearys were runners-up to Silver-Am class champions Shaun Balfe and Adam Smalley last year but also finished a creditable eighth in the overall standings – and just 12 points behind the fifth place crew – thanks to three outright podiums. That matched their best return over a season since 2021 when they scored half-a-point more and recorded their only British GT victory to date.
“Silver-Am gave us regular class podium opportunities but we’ve always had loftier ambitions than that,” said Richard. “I think it’s remarkable that a small, family-run team can have the sort of success that we’ve enjoyed at this level. Our aim has always been to fight with the bigger, multi-car teams and that won’t change this year now we’re in Pro-Am. I take a lot of pride in the fact that Sam has been upgraded to gold thanks to his performances with Abba.”
Sam added: “To be absolutely clear, the gold sparkle isn’t a reflection of my new FIA grading! We weren’t at our best in 2022 and ’23 so it was nice to remind a few people of what we could do last year. As a combination, we undoubtedly have the potential to challenge the factory-supported crews, and that’s something we’re hoping to do on a more consistent basis this year. Top five in the final championship standings would represent a massive achievement.”
British GT’s media day takes place at Silverstone on March 21.
