Fraser Ross will compete in this year’s CAMS Australian GT Championship with the newly-launched McLaren customer team 59Racing.
The big announcement came during the unveiling of the brand new McLaren 720S GT3 at the McLaren showroom in Melbourne after Ross recently confirmed the vehicle as his car for this year’s championship.
The stunning new GT featured a livery highlighting the iconic colours of McLaren, hsy, Opti-Coat and Mobil 1 which fans will get their first look at the car at Albert Park next week.
With Ross coming off a disappointing end to the 2018 season, which saw him finish fourth outright after occupying top spot for two rounds, he was excited to get the new season underway on a fresh new start.
“I cannot wait to be back out on track for the new season, and I am really proud to confirm that I am joining 59Racing for the 2019 season,” Ross confirmed.
“I’m really looking forward to seeing what the 720S GT3 can do around Albert Park. The event always has a fantastic atmosphere, and I feel really honoured to be part of the team that will race the new McLaren for the first time.
“It has seemed like a long off-season break getting everything in place for the start of the year, and I feel that the whole team is in a really good place as we make the final preparations for the opening round.
“The car looks great in the iconic McLaren Orange, and I am really pleased to be working with my new sponsors hsy and Mobil 1 for the season ahead, and to continue the relationship with Opti-coat.”
In 2019, Ross will once again race with number 59, a number which has become iconic for McLaren since 1995 after the mighty McLaren F1 GTR secured a famous victory in the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
With 59Racing also announcing plans to field a further two cars into the Championship later this year, the team is hoping to use the inspirational performance from 1995 as a motivation for more success.
However for now, there will just be the one car competing which Ross is raring to drive after having a successful testing in France last year.
“We tested with McLaren at Paul Ricard, and the car was already in a good place technically and performance-wise. Over the course of the laps I had in the car, it felt really well balanced,” Ross added.
“I know the team has worked hard over the [northern] winter on its development, and we saw some of its potential during its debut at the Gulf 12 Hour. It is going to be an exciting year.”
The 2019 CAMS Australian GT Championship season begins next week with four 25 minute races as part of the Formula 1 Rolex Australian Grand Prix 2019 at Albert Park on 14-17 March.
