Richardson Racing will field an expanded line-up for the next round of the Porsche Carrera Cup Benelux this weekend after announcing the signing of Gus Burton for the Zandvoort meeting.
Gus will line-up alongside team regulars Robert De Haan and Micah Stanley at the wheel of the team’s third Type 992 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car for what will be his debut in the Benelux series, and his first appearance at the home of the Dutch Grand Prix.
Whilst Gus will be competing in Richardson Racing colours for the first time, he is no stranger to the Northamptonshire-based team from his time racing in both the Ginetta Junior Championship and Porsche Carrera Cup GB.
Having clinched the Rookie Championship in the latter last season, Gus was set to return to the grid for 2023 alongside a programme in the Mobil 1 Supercup, before electing to curtail his season in Britain to focus solely on the F1 support series.
The decision to run a full Supercup programme with the Fach Auto Tech team means Gus is now set to compete at Zandvoort later in the year – an event he was scheduled to miss due to a clash with the Carrera Cup GB round at Donington Park GP.
Eager to get some experience of the tricky circuit in the Dutch dunes under his belt, Gus will now bolster the Richardson Racing line-up as the team seeks to build on a fine start to the season, which has seen it score wins at both Spa Francorchamps and Hockenheim during the opening two weekends of the season.
As a result, De Haan leads the championship standings heading into his home event, where he will be seeking to retain his advantage at the top ahead of Glenn van Parijs.
Gus Burton said:
“I wasn’t originally scheduled to do the Zandvoort round of Porsche Supercup before a change in my plans for the season, but given that most of the Supercup grid will have either raced there before – or will do in Carrera Cup Germany – I wanted to get on track myself to gain experience.
“I’ve seen first-hand how strong the Richardson Racing team is, and they’ve done a fantastic job this season in particular with Rob.They are arguably the form team in both Carrera Cup GB and Carrera Cup Benelux, so I’m delighted to be joining forces with them for the weekend.
“Whilst this is all geared towards helping me prepare for the Supercup round, I’m not just planning to make up the numbers and whilst I might not have visited Zandvoort before, I’d be disappointed if I’m not fighting towards the front.
“I’m certainly looking forward to seeing how I shape up against the ‘Flying Dutchman’ at his home circuit!”
Andrew Richardson, Team Manager, said:
“We’re pleased to welcome Gus into the team for Zandvoort, and to run our third car in Benelux for the first time. We know from his time racing against us that is he a quick driver, and we’re sure he’ll do a great job alongside Rob and Micah during the two races.
“To have three top drivers in the car gives us a strong chance of adding to the silverware we’ve collected so far this season, and of retaining our position at the top of the championship standings.”