OUR GT4 MCLAREN PROGRAM RETURNS TO ROAD AMERICA

VISTA, CA — Compass Racing's GT4 program returns to the famed Elhkart Lake in August with back-to-back weekends in two different series. Long-time team driver Ray Mason returns to the team for his eighth season, at the helm of one of the squad’s McLaren 570S GT4s.
 

He’ll drive at the newly-formed GT Celebration series’ event August 21-23rd, which features GT3 and GT4 machines racing in two 40-minute races over the course of the weekend. The series – which has been masterminded by former TruSpeed team owner Rob Morgan – competes at mainly west-coast tracks, with Road America being the only midwest facility on the circuit, which also includes Sonoma, Laguna Seca, Utah Motorsports Campus and Thermal. “We’re excited to have Ray back with us again, and to join GT Celebration,” noted Team Owner Jill Beck. “The format of the series, for bronze drivers only with a focus on west coast tracks, is an ideal addition to our IMSA and SRO programs, especially with the recent opening of our new headquarters in San Diego. We think this is going to be a great place for our team and drivers.”

The following weekend (August 28-30th) will see Ray back in SRO GT4 America competition for the two Sprint-X rounds, during which he’ll be joined by Ross Thompson. Long-time driver coach Thompson has worked with many teams and drivers during his career, including Flying Lizard, Level 5, TruSpeed, and Kelly Moss in series such as IMSA, HSR, NASCAR, NASA, Ferrari Challenge and Pure McLaren. Compass Racing began the SRO season at Circuit of the Americas with a Sprint-X Am McLaren for Anthony Geraci and Richard Golinelo, sitting out the next two rounds at VIR and Sonoma. “The Coronavirus-based postponement of racing from March to June provided both a challenge and an opportunity,” said Beck. "We shut down our Toronto operation, moved the McLaren GT4s to our new headquarters in San Diego, and organized satellite shops in Miami and Indianapolis for our GT3 program. The newly-compressed schedule for both IMSA and SRO necessitated missing a few SRO GT4 rounds, and we are excited to be back!"

Mason has had much success with Compass Racing, taking a dramatic second place at Road America in IMSA’s Michelin Pilot Cup with co-driver Pierre Kleinubing, taking two podiums (and one pole position) in SRO’s Touring Car series, anchoring the team’s IMSA GT3 program with an Audi R8 LMS Ultra, and co-driving a McLaren GT4 with Paul Holton in 2018.

“Last year I concentrated on my SCCA Formula Enterprise program,” remarked Mason. “After finishing in second place in that championship last year, I can’t wait to get back behind the wheel of a Compass Racing car at one of my favourite tracks!”

Live timing and scoring of GT Celebration is available at GTCelebration.com, with streaming of the SRO races viewable at GT4-America.com.