RAFA Racing Club will take its commitment to the GT4 European Series a step further this year, with its own RAFA Racing Team fielding twin McLaren Artura GT4s in the full championship.
The Texas-based drivers’ club first joined forces with the championship last season when it became the title partner, creating the GT4 European Series Powered by RAFA Racing Club. At the same time the RAFA Racing Team made its European competition debut running in the McLaren Trophy series as a warm-up to tackling a full GT4 campaign in 2024.
Along with its continued partnership with the championship, this year the RAFA Racing Team will field two Artura GT4s with an entry apiece into the Silver and Pro-Am classes. RAFA Racing ambassador Jem Hepworth will share the Silver class car with American Cameron Lawrence, while the Pro-Am entry will be crewed by RAFA Racing founder Rafael Martinez alongside experienced sportscar ace Jon Lancaster. The British Greystone GT squad will be technical advisor to the RAFA Racing Club programme.
Hepworth continues her racing journey with RAFA and has become an ambassador for the brand. She won the 2020 Britcar Endurance Championship aboard a Praga R1, and last season shared a McLaren 570S GT4 with Martinez in the McLaren Trophy. The pair were in contention for the championship throughout, only for a late mechanical issue to leave them second in the standings. For this season the duo will split, with Lawrence and Lancaster joining the setup to partner them.
Both Lawrence and Lancaster are championship-winning drivers. Lawrence has enjoyed a string of successes in both Trans-Am and the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. He has also celebrated a class victory at the 2015 Daytona 24 Hours aboard a GTD class Dodge Viper.
Lancaster built his reputation in single-seaters, winning races in the Formula 3 Euro Series, Formula Renault 3.5 and the GP2 Series before switching to sportscars. He won the 2015 European Le Mans Series LMP2 title and has two starts at the Le Mans 24 Hours on his CV.
With two cars on the grid, the RAFA Racing Team will be out for silverware across the board in this year’s championship.
RAFA Racing founder Rafael Martinez says: “We’re taking a step up in competition this year, but we’re bringing an even stronger team to take it on. Jem and I learned a lot last year racing together and are ready for the challenge of these GT4 cars. Cameron and Jon are great drivers in their own right, but are also great coaches and we believe we can really compete and have a lot of fun doing it.”
Jon Lancaster says: “I’m very proud to be partnering with Rafael into the next step of his racing career and joining the RAFA Racing Team for the GT4 European Series. Having worked together last season I’ve seen Rafael’s vast potential and his passion for the sport, which will no doubt lead us to mount a championship challenge!”
Jem Hepworth says: “I am excited for the new season with RAFA Racing. This is a step up for my career development and I am thrilled for the opportunity to showcase what I can do in a very competitive championship.”
Cameron Lawrence says: “I’ve been able to witness first-hand how hard Rafael and the team are working to improve, and I’m looking forward to carrying that over to the GT4 European Series. The entire RAFA Racing outfit loves this sport, which makes it a great group of people to be around. We’ll work hard to get up to speed quickly and see if we can make some noise this season in the championship.”
RAFA Racing, utilising the motto ‘Race As Family Always’ is a motorsports club and race team founded by and made for high-performance drivers, supporters, and fans of all types. Started by Rafael Martinez, the Club aims to create a space for high-performance car enthusiasts to enjoy like-minded individuals, network and share ideas on and off the track, and bond as one team with a common interest. For more information on the RAFA Racing Club, click here.
