Chris Harris is targeting Am Cup glory in 2018 as he prepares to tackle the opening Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup round at Monza this weekend (20-22 April).
The Top Gear presenter will drive a McLaren 650S GT3 run by the Garage 59 squad, with Chris Goodwin and Alexander West joining him aboard the #188 machine.
“We want to have a go at winning it,” said Harris during pre-season testing. “We wouldn’t turn up unless we had a chance at winning, would we?
“I think as a driver threesome we’re pretty strong,” he continued. “In terms of times Chris [Goodwin] is probably the quickest and then myself and Alex nudge in behind him.
“We’re not in it for glory, but we want to win – that’s the whole point. And I gather you get a wristwatch if you win,” he added. “I need a wristwatch because my other one broke, so…”
This will be Harris’ second full Endurance Cup campaign after piloting a Team Park Bentley Continental GT3 during 2016, taking a class podium at the Nürburgring. He made one Blancpain GT Series outing in 2017, contesting the Silverstone round for Garage 59, and has now expanded his involvement with the British effort.
“The car feels good and I think the Pirelli tyre for this season will be a little kinder to the McLaren,” he said after his first run in testing.
Harris was finding his feet after almost six months out of a racing car, and explained that the process was “a bit like a golf swing”.
“If you spend the week beforehand locked in a dark room watching videos of other drivers, you can overthink it,” he said. “It’s better to turn up with a clear head.
"At this point in the season, if the car isn’t feeling too great you should blame yourself and not the vehicle. The engineers will help me, so it’s just a case of getting back into the feel of it.”
Harris went on to explain that his regular job makes it even more challenging to transition back to racing machinery.
“I’m quite used to skidding cars around,” he said. “This is all about correcting a slip angle when you feel it. In my day job, when you feel a slip angle you get the camera out and film it, so it’s a question of moving my brain back to this more grown-up way of driving.”
Harris concluded by saying that driving the McLaren this season is “a dream”.
“15 or 20 years ago this would have been called a Group C car. But for some restrictors it would have 700 horsepower, and it’s very accurate.
“It’s a fantastic car to drive and I’m very lucky to be doing this.”
The 2018 Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup begins this weekend with a three-hour race at the historic Monza circuit. The Am Cup will be one of four classes on display, alongside Pro, Pro-Am and Silver Cup.