British GT: Jenson Button Set For Championship Debut At Silverstone

2009 Formula 1 World Champion Jenson Button is set to make his debut in the 2020 Intelligent Money British GT Championship at Silverstone for the season finale in November.

Button will join Chris Buncombe in a Pro/Am partnership, driving a second Jenson Team Rocket RJN McLaren 720S to compete alongside the team’s full season #2 McLaren, piloted by Michael O’Brien and ‘World’s Fastest Gamer’ James Baldwin.

The 2018 Super GT champion has never raced a GT3 car and November’s three-hour British GT Championship round will be Button’s first competitive appearance at the home of British motor racing since he last raced at Silverstone during the 2016 Formula 1 season.

“This will be my first taste of a GT3 car but I’m really looking forward to it,” said Button. “It will be lovely to join our team and lining-up in the McLaren 720S with my best buddy Chris Buncombe. It’s great to come back and race on UK soil again – a big thank you to our partners who have made this possible.

“It’s a shame that the final round of the Intelligent Money British GT Championship will be without fans but I hope they will tune in to follow our progress!”

Jenson Button’s business partner and co-owner of Jenson Team Rocket RJN Chris Buncombe will be making his first British GT start since the final round in 2018 and is also looking forward to racing the McLaren 720S GT3.

” Jenson and I have spoken for a while about sharing a car together on track. We have done a number of off-road races together driving a spec Trophy Truck in the US but never driven together in a GT race,” said the 2018 Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup Pro/Am champion.

“It will be great to return to Silverstone and and I’m hugely looking forward to trying the McLaren 720S GT3. Thank you to everyone who has helped make this possible. It’s a fantastic way to end the 2020 season.”

Team Principal Bob Neville is delighted that the team will be fielding two cars for the season finale.

“We are very pleased to be able to run a second car at this final race of the year and it’s brilliant to have a former world champion in Jenson with an endurance champion in Chris behind the wheel, both of whom are my partners in the team,” said Bob Neville.

“We are also heading into this race with an outside chance of winning the British GT Championship with our Silver Cup pairing of Michael O’Brien and the World’s Fastest Gamer, James Baldwin, who will hopefully benefit from having such experienced team-mates.”

The final weekend of the 2020 Intelligent Money British GT Championship takes place at Silverstone on November 7 – 8.