THE
TEAM
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THE
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ANDREW
WATSON
NORTHERN IRISH
21/01/1995
2024 BRITISH TOURING CAR CHAMPIONSHIP
TOYOTA GAZOO RACING UK
TOYOTA COROLLA GR
BRITISH TOURING CAR CHAMPIONSHIP
For 2024, Andrew Watson finds himself piloting TOYOTA GAZOO Racing UK’s, Toyota Corolla GR, in the British Touring Car Championship. After proving that he can consistently fight at the front of the BTCC grid during his title-winning campaign in 2023, Andrew earned himself a move to manufacturer entry TOYOTA GAZOO Racing UK for this season and working with Speedworks Motorsport, Andrew gives himself an excellent foundation to achieve even more in the championship.
During his rookie season in 2023, Andrew was one of the standout stars of the 2023 British Touring Car Championship and he achieved no fewer than ten wins in the Jack Sears Trophy – open to drivers without a podium to their name prior to the beginning of the campaign – to clinch the title behind the wheel of the CarStore Power Maxed Racing Vauxhall Astra.
As the flagship series of British motorsport, the BTCC has kept millions of viewers entertained across the years offering them unrivalled access to one of the most, if not the most, competitive championships in motorsport. Visiting a host of the UK’s premier motorsport venues and broadcasting live across ITV, it represents a unique opportunity for Andrew and one he looks to grasp with both hands.
FIA WORLD ENDURANCE CHAMPIONSHIP
In August 2019, it was announced that Andrew Watson will compete in the 2019/20 FIA World Endurance Championship with Gulf Racing in the LMGTE Am category. Andrew's campaign took him across the world to race in some of the most prestigious endurance events, including the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Starting off with the 4 Hours of Silverstone, Andrew then travelled to Fuji and Shanghai before arriving in Bahrain where he secured his maiden FIA WEC podium.
Andrew then followed that with two further top-ten finishes at COTA and Spa-Francorchamps.
The season also saw Andrew make his Le Mans debut, claiming a superb fifth place at the legendary 24 hour event. His team-mates for this global adventure were fellow Brits Ben Barker and Mike Wainwright and together the trio piloted the #86 Porsche 911 RSR.
Ahead of the 2021 season, it was announced that Andrew will join D'station Racing to spearhead their campaign, sharing the team's #777 Aston Martin Vantage AMR GTE with Satoshi Hoshino and Tomonobu Fujii at every round of the season - including the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Andrew enjoyed a positive campaign, spurring the team on to their maiden FIA WEC podium finish and a top-six finish at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
ASIAN LE MANS SERIES
In 2022, it was announced that Andrew would contest that year's Asian Le Mans Series, consisting of four endurance rounds held in Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
Lining up with Optimum Motorsport, Andrew competed in the team's #22 McLaren 720S GT3 with Nick Moss & Joe Osborne. Claiming sixth place in the final standings, Andrew took three fourth-place results and a ninth place finish across the four races.
GT WORLD CHALLENGE EUROPE ENDURANCE
Remaining with Garage 59 for a third successive year, Andrew made a superb start to the 2020 GT World Challenge Europe Endurance season. He took a second-place podium finish at the opening round in Imola and followed that with an impressive first win of the season at the Nürburgring to take the lead of the Silver Cup championship. Following poor fortune at the Spa 24 Hours and Paul Ricard 1000km, Andrew and the team finished the season fourth in the championship.
2019 brought with it a new challenge in the same team for Andrew as he stayed with Garage 59 as they moved from the McLaren 650s GT3 to the brand new Aston Martin Vantage GT3. Racing in the #59 PRO entry, Joined by 2017 Le Mans winner, Jonny Adam, and 2016 Blancpain Endurance Cup winner, Côme Ledogar, Andrew endured a tough year with multiple DNFs all out of Andrew's control.
For the 2018 campaign, Andrew raced for Garage 59 in the Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup. Andrew and the team’s highlight moment of the year came at the 1000km of Paul Ricard where Andrew starred in the McLaren 650s. Qualifying the car on the front row, Andrew and the team then brought it home in third place to collect Andrew’s first overall podium in the series.
Alongside his Endurance Cup duties for Garage 59, Andrew also contested the Sprint Cup with 3Y Technology in the BMW M6 GT3. Tasting victory in the third round of the season, the team had a weekend to remember at Brands Hatch as they reached the top step of the podium in the Silver Cup.
A year earlier, Andrew was again behind the wheel of the McLaren 650s GT3 in the Blancpain GT Series but this time representing Strakka racing in the Blancpain GT series.
For 2016, Andrew went on to race for Garage 59 in the Blancpain Endurance Series and Blancpain Sprint Series and the team successfully took part in a 10-date calendar, visiting some of the most iconic circuits in Europe.
ASTON MARTIN RACING JUNIOR
2019 began with Andrew signing with Aston Martin Racing to become one of the British brand’s AMR Juniors - a role that will see him represent Aston Martin Racing and become a mentor for AMR’s Academy Drivers.
Aston Martin Racing has relaunched their AMR Driver Academy with the fresh initiative aiming to fast track talent like Andrew into factory status in the years to come - with Andrew being selected as one of only two AMR Juniors.
The path will see the BRDC Rising Star land on the second step to becoming a factory driver, with the hierarchy of the Aston Martin programme going from Academy Driver to Junior Driver to Factory Driver.
Andrew’s role as an AMR Junior will see Andrew become a reserve for the Factory Professionals, a mentor for the twenty-three Academy Drivers and play a vital role in the development and testing of new race cars.
BRITISH GT & McLAREN GT ACADEMY
In 2015, Watson made a switch to the British GT Championship driving a McLaren 650S GT3 for Von Ryan Racing as part of the McLaren Young Driver Programme.
Watson scored his best result of the season when he and fellow McLaren GT “Young Driver” Ross Wylie finished seventh in the Silverstone 500 in May 2015, only 20 seconds behind the podium places. The race at Silverstone was preceded by races at Rockingham and Oulton Park. At Oulton Park in April 2015, Watson and his teammate Ross Wiley placed a ninth-place finish in the second race, whilst at Rockingham in May 2015, the team retired from the race on the opening lap following a collision.
Watson also raced in 4 races of the International Open GT Championship, scoring 1 race win and 1 pole position. In addition, Watson competed in the Sepang 12 hours and secured a class victory.
GINETTA GT SUPERCUP
Watson's Ginetta Junior team decided to enter the senior competition, the Ginetta GT Supercup, using a more advanced Ginetta G55.
Watson quickly got up to speed in his new machine and achieved his first podium in the GT Supercup, with a second-place finish in round 7, at the year's third meeting at Thruxton in Hampshire.
At Knockhill, Andrew achieved his maiden pole position for round 18 but could not convert it into a maiden race win in the GT Supercup. Andrew finished his debut season in seventh place overall in the standings with 372 points.
For the 2014 Ginetta GT4 Supercup, Andrew stayed with long-term team Douglas Motorsport and success came early, with pole position, fastest lap and his first win in the opening round at Brands Hatch. A further win at Thruxton in round 9 of the series, saw Andrew leading the championship with 230 points. Andrew eventually finished the season in fourth place on 640 points.
In July 2014 Andrew was invited to join the prestigious British Racing Drivers’ Club (BRDC) Rising Star Scheme, following in the footsteps of former BRDC Rising Stars including Lewis Hamilton. The BRDC Rising Star scheme acknowledges exceptional young talent amongst British and Commonwealth drivers under the age of 24, across all four-wheel racing disciplines. Scouted by the BRDC from trackside, Rising Stars are invited to sport the unique ‘blue roundel’, symbolising their association with the highly respected organisation.
GINETTA JUNIOR
Andrew began his motor racing career at the age of 15, in the Ginetta Junior Ireland Championship, making regular podiums through to 2011. That year, Andrew joined Douglas Motorsport team to race in the final two rounds of the Ginetta Junior Championship at Silverstone.
2012 saw Andrew contest the entire Ginetta Junior championship season, again with Douglas Motorsport. The season saw him deliver fifth place in the Championship, achieving six podium places, including second places and his maiden victory, with only two non-finishes out of the twenty-round season.
