Andrew Watson (racing driver)

Last updated

Andrew Watson
Andrew Watson Racing Driver.jpg
Watson at Silverstone Circuit in 2019
Nationality Flag of the United Kingdom.svg British
Born (1995-01-21) 21 January 1995 (age 29)
Belfast, Northern Ireland
British Touring Car Championship career
Debut season 2023
Current team Toyota Gazoo Racing UK
Racing licence FIA Gold Driver.png FIA Gold
Car number11
Former teams Power Maxed Racing
Starts36 (36 entries)
Wins0
Podiums2
Poles0
Fastest laps0
Best finish15th in 2023
Previous series
2022
2021, 2019-20
2016-2020
2016-2020
2020
2020
2016-2018
2017, 2015
2015
2014, 2013
2012, 2011
ALMS
FIA WEC
Intercontinental GT Challenge
GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup
IMSA SportsCar Championship
ELMS
Blancpain GT Series Sprint Cup
British GT
International GT Open
Ginetta GT4 Supercup
Ginetta Junior Championship
Championship titles
2023 Jack Sears Trophy

Andrew Robert Watson (born 21 January 1995) is a British racing driver from Northern Ireland currently competing in the British Touring Car Championship for Toyota Gazoo Racing UK.

Contents

Throughout his career Watson has competed in sports car racing and endurance racing, until his switch to touring car racing in 2023. He is a former Aston Martin Racing junior. [1]

Racing career

Early career

Watson 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 Watson 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.

2013 – Ginetta GT Supercup

Andrew Watson Ginetta G55 Thruxton 2013 Andrew Watson Ginetta G55 Thruxton 2013.jpg
Andrew Watson Ginetta G55 Thruxton 2013

Watson's Ginetta Junior team decided to enter the senior competition, the Ginetta GT Supercup, using a Ginetta G55. [2]

At the first meeting of the season at Brands Hatch Indy circuit, Watson qualified second despite having little experience in the much more powerful G55 car. This translated to a seventh-place finish in round 1, followed by an eighth place in round 2, both on the Saturday. Round 3 was held on Sunday an even more impressive finish in fourth place cemented his arrival in the senior ranks.

Success at Donington Park at the second meeting of the year, was not so easy to repeat but Watson did qualify 3rd and managed to get the fastest lap in round 5.

Watson 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, Watson achieved pole position for round 18 (being the meeting's 1st race) on 24 August. This could not be converted to a maiden race win in the GT Supercup owing to him having to serve a drive-through penalty. He eventually finished the race in 10th place.

In round 20 at Knockhill, Watson led the race for 23 of the 24 lap race however he was overtaken for the lead by championship leader Tom Ingram. A last corner overtake saw Matt Nicoll-Jones take second place with Watson gaining holding on to third place.

Watson finished the season in seventh place overall in the standings with 372 points.

2014 – Ginetta GT4 Supercup

For the now renamed 2014 Ginetta GT4 Supercup, Watson stayed with long-term team Douglas Motorsport alongside a new teammate, Harry Woodhead, winner of the 2013 Ginetta Junior Championship.

Success came early, with pole position, fastest lap and a win in the opening round at Brands Hatch, followed by second and third-place finishes in the next two rounds. A further win at Thruxton in round 9 of the series, saw Watson leading the championship with 230 points.

Watson eventually finished the season in fourth place on 640 points.

2015 – British GT Championship

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. [3] He is competing in the GT3 class, a step-up from the GT4 class he previously drove in the 2014 Ginetta GT4 Supercup.

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.

2016 – Blancpain GT Championship

For 2016, Watson raced in the Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup with Garage 59 in a McLaren 650S GT3 as a member of the McLaren GT Young Driver Academy.

2016 also saw Watson make his debut at the famous Bathurst 12 hour race, where he finished a credible 9th overall on his first visit to the track.

2017 – Blancpain GT Championship

Watson continued to race in the Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup and also the Blancpain GT World Challenge Europe again behind the wheel of the McLaren 650s, but this time representing Strakka racing in the 2017 Blancpain GT Series.

2018 – Blancpain GT Championship

Watson remained in the McLaren 650S GT3 racing with Garage 59 in the Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup. Andrew's 2018 highlights included achieving pole position in the AM class at the Blancpain 24 Hours of Spa and pole position in the PRO Class at Paul Ricard. Watson also achieved an excellent podium position at the 1,000 kilometres of Paul Ricard as Andrew in the #58 Garage 59 McLaren qualified on the front row and led for the majority of the race, before eventually coming home in 3rd place - marking a proud moment in Andrew's career as he achieved his first overall podium finish in the Blancpain GT Series.

Watson also raced in the Blancpain GT World Challenge Europe for 3Y in a BMW M6 GT3, which included race victory in the Silver Class at Brands Hatch.

2019 – Blancpain GT Championship

Watson's 2019 season saw him compete in the European Blancpain GT Endurance Series with Andrew rejoining the Garage 59 team, following their switch to the Aston Martin Vantage GT3's for the 2019 Blancpain campaign.

2019/20 – FIA World Endurance Championship

Andrew Watson was selected to join the Gulf Racing team in the 2019/20 FIA World Endurance Championship. Racing a Porsche 911 RSR, Andrew collected his maiden World Championship podium in Bahrain as the team finished third in the GTE-Am Class.

Andrew also made his debut in the Aston Martin Vantage GTE as he featured in the FIA World Endurance Championship Rookie Test with Aston Martin Racing.

2020 – Daytona 24 Hours

Andrew Watson made his Daytona 24 Hours debut in January 2020 after securing a late drive with Aston Martin Racing. Replacing the injured Paul Dalla Lana, the Northern Irishman joined Pedro Lamy, Mathias Lauda and Ross Gunn in the #98 Aston Martin Vantage GT3. [4] However, the team did not finish the race due to a crash after 189 completed laps.

2020 – Bathurst 12 Hours

On his fourth appearance at the Bathurst 12 Hours, Andrew Watson celebrated a podium finish at the 2020 Bathurst 12 Hour endurance race.

Watson, along with Garage 59 team-mates Oliver Hart and Roman De Angelis, finished third in the Silver class and 14th overall at Mount Panorama behind the wheel on an Aston Martin Vantage GT3.

British Touring Car Championship

Power Maxed Racing (2023)

On 18 January 2023, it was announced that Watson would drive for CarStore Power Maxed Racing in the 2023 British Touring Car Championship, driving a Vauxhall Astra. This would be Watson's first time in touring car racing, and his first time racing a front-wheel drive car. [5] The Northern Irishman impressed on debut, qualifying ninth at the first round at Donington Park, [6] ahead of teammate Árón Taylor-Smith and fellow rookie teammate Mikey Doble. In the first race of the weekend, he climbed 5 positions to finish 4th overall, and 1st in the Jack Sears Trophy. [7]

Racing record

Career summary

SeasonSeriesTeamRacesWinsPolesF/LapsPodiumsPointsPosition
2011 Ginetta Junior Championship HHC Motorsport200002819th
2012 Ginetta Junior Championship Douglas Motorsport2010263675th
Ginetta Junior Winter Series31111556th
2013 Ginetta GT Supercup Douglas Motorsport2700233727th
2014 Ginetta GT4 Supercup Douglas Motorsport27515126084th
2015 International GT Open - GT3 Pro Am Teo Martin Motorsport 411011310th
British GT Championship Von Ryan Racing900002816th
2016 Blancpain GT Series Sprint Cup Garage 59200000NC
Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup 500000NC
Intercontinental GT Challenge Tekno Autosports 10000615th
Garage 5910000
2017 Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup Strakka Racing 500000NC
Blancpain GT Series Sprint Cup 100000621st
Intercontinental GT Challenge 100000NC
British GT Championship - GT4 Black Bull Garage 5910000623rd
2018 Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup Garage 59500011924th
Blancpain GT Series Sprint Cup 3Y Technology800000.527th
Blancpain GT Series Sprint Cup - Silver Cup 8100149.55th
Intercontinental GT Challenge YNA Autosport10000423rd
Garage 5920000
2019 Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup Garage 5950000233rd
2019-20 FIA World Endurance Championship - GTE Am Gulf Racing700017013th
2020 24 Hours of Le Mans - GTE Am Gulf Racing10000N/A5th
European Le Mans Series - GTE Gulf Racing UK100000NC
IMSA SportsCar Championship - GTD Aston Martin Racing 100001458th
GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup Garage 59500000NC
Intercontinental GT Challenge 10000220th
2021 FIA World Endurance Championship - GTE Am D'station Racing 60001519th
24 Hours of Le Mans - GTE Am 10000N/A6th
2022 Asian Le Mans Series - GT Inception Racing with Optimum Motorsport 40000385th
2023 British Touring Car Championship CarStore Power Maxed Racing 3000029215th
2024 British Touring Car Championship Toyota Gazoo Racing UK 600003213th*

* Season still in progress.

Complete British GT Championship results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

YearTeamCarClass12345678910DCPoints
2015 Von Ryan Racing McLaren 650S GT3 GT3 OUL
1

Ret
OUL
2

9
ROC
1

Ret
SIL
1

7
SPA
1

8
BRH
1

10
SNE
1

6
SNE
2

13
DON
1

10
16th28
2017 Black Bull Garage 59 McLaren 570S GT4 GT4 OUL
1
OUL
2
ROC
1
SNE
1
SNE
2
SIL
1
SPA
1
SPA
2
BRH
1
DON
1

14
23rd6

Complete Blancpain GT Series Sprint Cup results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; results in italics indicate fastest lap)

YearTeamCarClass12345678910Pos.Points
2016 Garage 59 McLaren 650S GT3 Pro MIS
QR
MIS
CR
BRH
QR
BRH
CR
NÜR
QR
NÜR
CR
HUN
QR
HUN
CR
CAT
QR

19
CAT
CR

21
NC0
2017 Strakka Racing McLaren 650S GT3 Pro MIS
QR

18
MIS
CR

8
BRH
QR

15
BRH
CR

21
ZOL
QR

22
ZOL
CR

11
HUN
QR

24
HUN
CR

17
NÜR
QR

16
NÜR
CR

9
21st6
2018 3Y Technology BMW M6 GT3 Silver ZOL
1

17
ZOL
2

17
BRH
1

DSQ
BRH
2

10
MIS
1

14
MIS
2

16
HUN
1

20
HUN
2

15
NÜR
1
NÜR
2
5th49.5

Complete FIA World Endurance Championship results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)

YearEntrantClassChassisEngine12345678RankPoints
2019–20 Gulf RacingLMGTE Am Porsche 911 RSR Porsche 4.0 L Flat-6 SIL
4
FUJ
8
SHA
9
BHR
3
COA
6
SPA
10
LMS
5
BHR 13th70
2021 D'station Racing LMGTE Am Aston Martin Vantage AMR Aston Martin 4.0 L Turbo V8 SPA
7
ALG
Ret
MNZ
3
LMS
5
BHR
10
BHR
7
9th51

Complete IMSA SportsCar Championship results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

YearTeamClassMakeEngine1234567891011Pos.Points
2020 Aston Martin Racing GTD Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 Aston Martin 4.0 L Turbo V8 DAY
17
DAY SEB ELK VIR ATL MDO CLT PET LGA SEB 58th14

Complete 24 Hours of Le Mans results

YearTeamCo-DriversCarClassLapsPos.Class
Pos.
2020 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Gulf Racing Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Ben Barker
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Michael Wainwright
Porsche 911 RSR GTE
Am
33729th5th
2021 Flag of Japan.svg D'station Racing Flag of Japan.svg Tomonobu Fujii
Flag of Japan.svg Satoshi Hoshino
Aston Martin Vantage AMR GTE
Am
33333rd6th

Complete European Le Mans Series results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; results in italics indicate fastest lap)

YearEntrantClassChassisEngine12345Pos.Points
2020 Gulf Racing UKLMGTE Porsche 911 RSR Porsche 4.0 L Flat-6 LEC SPA LEC MNZ ALG
Ret
NC0

Complete British Touring Car Championship results

(key) Races in bold indicate pole position (1 point awarded – 2002–2003 all races, 2004–present just in first race) Races in italics indicate fastest lap (1 point awarded all races) * signifies that driver lead race for at least one lap (1 point awarded – 2002 just in feature races, 2003–present all races)

YearTeamCar123456789101112131415161718192021222324252627282930DCPoints
2023 CarStore Power Maxed Racing Vauxhall Astra DON
1

4
DON
2

21
DON
3

12
BRH
1

Ret
BRH
2

20
BRH
3

23
SNE
1

18
SNE
2

18
SNE
3

18
THR
1

18
THR
2

16
THR
3

13
OUL
1

15
OUL
2

12
OUL
3

15
CRO
1

16
CRO
2

14
CRO
3

14
KNO
1

2
KNO
2

9
KNO
3

16
DON
1

9
DON
2

16
DON
3

11
SIL
1

3
SIL
2

6
SIL
3

18
BRH
1

14
BRH
2

18
BRH
3

18
15th92
2024 Toyota Gazoo Racing UK Toyota Corolla GR Sport DON
1

10
DON
2

12
DON
3

12
BRH
1

8
BRH
2

15
BRH
3

7
SNE
1

SNE
2

SNE
3

THR
1

THR
2

THR
3

OUL
1

OUL
2

OUL
3

CRO
1

CRO
2

CRO
3

KNO
1

KNO
2

KNO
3

DON
1

DON
2

DON
3

SIL
1

SIL
2

SIL
3

BRH
1

BRH
2

BRH
3

13th*32*

* Season still in progress.

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References

  1. "NI duo Charlie Eastwood and Andrew Watson secure factory Aston Martin deal". BBC Sport. BBC. 29 March 2019.
  2. "Andrew Watson to graduate to Michelin Ginetta GT Supercup". Ginetta.com. Ginetta Cars. 13 February 2013. Archived from the original on 25 February 2014. Retrieved 13 February 2013.
  3. "McLaren junior drivers to race in British GT in 2015". Autosport . Haymarket Publications. 2 March 2015. Retrieved 2 March 2015.
  4. Euwema, Davey (17 January 2020). "Aston Martin confirms Andrew Watson as Dalla Lana replacement at Daytona 24". MotorsportWeek. Retrieved 23 April 2023.
  5. Newbold, James (18 January 2023). "GT racer Watson switches to BTCC with PMR Vauxhall". Autosport. Retrieved 22 April 2023.
  6. "Andrew Watson impresses to lead rookie charge". TouringCarTimes. 22 April 2023. Retrieved 23 April 2023.
  7. Simmons, Marcus (23 April 2023). "BTCC Donington Park: Cammish beats Hill in thriller". Autosport. Retrieved 23 April 2023.
Sporting positions
Preceded by Jack Sears Trophy
Winner

2023
Succeeded by
Incumbent