Team Parker Racing has become the latest squad to commit to running the new Porsche 911 GT3-R this season, announcing a Bronze Cup programme in the Fanatec GT Endurance Cup.
It marks a return to the five-round championship for Stuart Parker's outfit, which previously contested the series between 2014 and 2016 and again in 2018-2020. Having previously run Audi and Bentley machinery, the team has been aligned with Porsche since 2020, contesting the Intelligent Money British GT Championship and Porsche Carrera Cup GB.
Its 2023 line-up is anchored by Derek Pierce, who was ever present for the team in 2016, 2018 and 2019. He will be joined by professional racer Andy Meyrick, whose C.V. includes a pair of overall Fanatec GT Endurance Cup wins during his spell as a Bentley factory driver. Meyrick's most recent appearance in the series was as part of Team Parker's 2019 CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa assault.
“I’m really excited to get back behind the wheel this season and make a return to Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe Powered by AWS after the pandemic derailed our plans back in 2020. We have a fantastic line-up of drivers with Andy and Kiern, mixing experience with speed and a brilliant new car in the Porsche 911 GT3 R," said Pierce.
“There’s no one else I would want to go racing with other than Team Parker. It’s a brilliant environment, professional but enjoyable, and you feel like a part of the family. I can’t think of a better crew to get to grips with the new car and help us quickly get up to speed."
Meyrick added: “I’m really happy to have the chance to compete with Team Parker Racing again this season, as well as linking up with Derek for the third time in Fanatec GT Europe. Having finished runner up in the series twice I feel like there’s a bit of unfinished business so we’ll be pushing hard to see what we can achieve with the new Porsche 911 GT3 R.
The line-up is completed by rising star Kiern Jewiss. The 20-year-old was crowned British F4 champion in 2018 and has recently found success in sports car racing, winning last year's Porsche Carrera Cup GB title with Team Parker.
"It's very different for me moving to endurance racing after only doing sprint races in my career to this point," said Jewiss. "I’ve gone from having teammates in identical cars to teammates in the same car which will be something new.
“I’ll have to work on my mindset and adapt my approach as it’s not just you and your engineer, it’s also about the other drivers in the car and working together. It will be great to spend time with Derek and Andy and seeing how we compare to everyone else, as we have a strong line up in the car. It will be a very different year but one I am excited to tackle.”
Among its achievements in Fanatec GT Europe, Team Parker holds the record for the best overall finish for an Am Cup entry at the CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa. The squad's Audi came home 14th at the 2015 running to secure class honours and went on to claim both the teams' and drivers' titles.
Team Parker Racing will be present at next week's official Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe Powered by AWS test days at Circuit Paul Ricard (7-8 March). The Endurance Cup campaign launches at Monza on 21-23 April, followed by trips to Circuit Paul Ricard (2–4 June), the CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa (29 June–2 July), the Nürburgring (28–30 July) and Circuit de Barcelona Catalunya (29 September–1 October).
Photos: Jakob Ebrey Photography / Dan Bathie / Drew Gibson