Wylie switches from McLaren junior to Motorbase Aston in British GT
Former McLaren GT junior Ross Wylie will race an Aston Martin in British GT again this year, with BTCC outfit Motorbase Performance
Wylie will share the team's Aston Martin Vantage GT3 with Phil Dryburgh, having spent last season as part of McLaren GT's Young Driver Programme.
Motorbase's entry will be trimmed to a single car, with a return to European competition expected to be announced soon, alongside its British GT and British Touring Car Championship campaigns.
Wylie shared a Von Ryan Racing-run 650S GT3 with Andrew Watson in British GT in 2015, but the pair endured a difficult season and finished 15th in the points.
He last raced Aston Martin machinery in 2014 when he secured the GT4 title alongside Jake Giddings in a Beechdean-run Vantage GT4.
"I'm really excited about joining Motorbase and going back to Aston Martin," Wylie said.
"Last year was a difficult one for me as there was a lot of expectation and pressure racing with McLaren.
"I learnt a lot from the McLaren Young Driver Programme, about how to work with a manufacturer and what's expected of you, but I couldn't say no to this deal with Phil.
"The Vantage is a great car. Being front-mid-engined it has great frontal grip so you can roll the speed into a corner with confidence.
"I think I'll work really well with Phil as he's a great character and is always smiling."
Dryburgh has raced sporadically in British GT since 2010, with all of his outings coming in a Vantage GT3 in recent years.
Motorbase took Michael Caine and Daniele Perfetti to the British GT drivers' title in 2012 and claimed the teams' title in '14 running under the Oman Racing Team banner.
"It's a more focused effort on British GT this year," team boss David Bartrum said.
"It's all about Ross and Phil. Phil is a big backer of Scottish talent and we see Ross as a real star in the making so this year is about getting him back into a comfortable environment with the right car and letting him show what he can really do.
"Ross and Phil will work brilliantly together and Phil is a very solid Bronze-graded driver.
"They have a lot of potential and we'll be going for wins this year."
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