Team Redline Racing are making an exciting expansion into the British GT Championship next season, with Porsche graduates James Dorlin and Alex Malykhin piloting a Lamborghini Huracan GT3.
The Teesside squad will compete in top level GT3 racing for the first time alongside their hugely successful programmes in one-make Porsche competition, having secured a record 11th Carrera Cup GB title this season alongside finishing runners-up in the Sprint Challenge GB.
Both drivers will be making their GT3 competition debut as well, though Dorlin enters with some previous British GT experience after a race-winning GT4 class campaign in 2019. The following year he took a dominant title victory in the Sprint Challenge GB, with seven wins and 11 podiums in 12 races, and made his Carrera Cup GB debut with Redline earlier this year.
Malykhin meanwhile will step up to GT3 in only his second season of racing. Debuting in the Sprint Challenge GB this year, with coaching from Dorlin, he finished second in the Am class with Redline after scoring seven podium results including two wins with Redline.
The Anglo-Belarusian driver is aiding his transition to GT3 racing with a winter campaign in the Porsche Sprint Challenge Middle East alongside Dorlin. The duo have produced competitive results so far in the new Porsche 911 GT3 Cup (992), which debuts in CCGB next year.
Team Redline Racing make the move to British GT with one of the most successful car models in recent series history. Lamborghini Huracan GT3’s have been piloted to the drivers’ title in each of the last two seasons, as well as a total of 11 top four championship finishes in six years.
Simon Leonard – Managing Director: “Everyone at Team Redline Racing is incredibly excited by this new programme. The British GT Championship is one of the most competitive GT series in the world, so it’s a great opportunity for us to join the grid and take on the established names. We have a lot of experience to draw upon from almost two decades of Porsche racing, so we’re confident we can get ourselves battling at the front of the grid.
“James [Dorlin] and Alex [Malykhin] have a brilliant relationship and they’ll make a great driver pairing. We all know the talent James has, with his title win in the Sprint Challenge GB and race victories in numerous other championships. Alex is very early in his racing career, but he made extraordinary progress in the Caymans this year and with some good testing under his belt alongside James, he’s going to be ready for the challenge of British GT.
“We’re looking forward to getting to grips with the Lamborghini Huracan GT3. We shook it down at Silverstone in November and it is truly a fantastic machine. We have an extensive pre-season testing programme planned so we’re all up to speed and ready to hit the ground running at the start of the season.”
James Dorlin: “British GT was fun first time around and I learnt a lot about multi-class racing, but I always hoped to be driving a GT3 car at the very front one day. The Lamborghini is a proven package in the UK and Redline are one of the country’s best teams, so I’ve no doubt they’ll get on top of the Huracan quickly.
“Alex has also come on leaps and bounds since the start of the year. We could have gone down the traditional GT4 route but, honestly, now he’s had a season with the Cayman I think he’s capable of moving up straight away. We’re expecting a steep learning curve – this is unchartered territory for all of us – but I’ve no doubt we have the potential to fight against the current front runners in GT3.”
Alex Malykhin: “We know it’s a big step up in a short space of time but I felt like I was on top of the Cayman by the end of this season and could build up to the GT3 with some Porsche Cup races over the winter.
“James has been instrumental in getting me to this point, knows all about British GT and was the class of 2020’s Sprint Challenge field. What’s more, in Redline and the Lamborghini we couldn’t have a better team or a more proven car to be making the move.
“We know it’s very competitive and there are seasoned crews with a lot more experience. But I really believe it won’t be long before we’re giving them something to think about!”
The British GT Championship is one of the world’s foremost domestic GT series, with bumper grids showcasing some of the most prestigious sportscars in motorsport. The championship runs a successful two-class format for GT3 and GT4 machinery.
The 2022 championship will be contested across seven events, with nine races ranging from one to three hours in length. The series will visit the leading circuits in the UK including Brands Hatch, Silverstone and Donington Park, as well as make an overseas visit to Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium.