Another local Racelab entry has been confirmed for the Monochrome GT4 Australia season finale, with Kiwis Shaun Varney and Glen Chappel locked in for GT Festival Hampton Downs.
The pair will pilot the second Racelab Toyota GR Supra GT4 Evo 2 together in the Silver-Am class in what will be their official debut in the series and Varney’s maiden appearance with the highly esteemed race team.
Racelab CEO and Team Manager Neil Garner said the team was looking forward to seeing the duo make their debut in GT4 machinery.
“This new pairing brings together two fast, focused, and seriously motivated racers – and with Racelab’s trackside engineering crew behind them, they’re ready to shake things up in the GT4 field,” Garner said.
“Glen and Shaun both bring awesome energy and great pace. They’ve clicked straight away, and it’s great to see how well they’re working together in the Supra GT4.
“It’s going to be a really exciting combo to watch over the weekend.”
Varney will enter the event as the Silver driver, having enjoyed a strong career of more than a decade across a range of different categories in New Zealand, as well as international stints in Australia and Asia.
He first made his car racing debut in Formula Suzuki New Zealand after graduating from karting in 2010 and went on to race in a number of national series, including the Castrol BMW NZ Race Driver Series, NZ Motul Honda Cup and the New Zealand V8 Touring Car Championship.
In the mid-2010s, Varney ventured outside the country to ply his trade and spent up to four years competing in the Porsche Carrera Cup Asia series, Thailand Super Series and GT Asia, as well as in Australia, where he made an Australian GT appearance in 2015, while also featuring in the 2019 Hi-Tec Oils Bathurst 6 Hour.
During his international spell, Varney enjoyed his biggest successes in GT Asia, where he picked up two podiums in 2018 before claiming the Class B win in the Bathurst 6 Hour the following year.
His most recent racing experience has come this year, where he has run a Porsche 991.2 GT3 Cup in the GT New Zealand Championship.
“I’m really looking forward to it. I’ve only had one test in the Toyota so far, but it felt great right from the start,” Varney said.
“Hampton Downs is my home circuit, so I’d like to think that gives us a little advantage – especially since I’d say I’ve done thousands of laps here over the years.
“I don’t have a huge amount of GT4 experience yet, but I’m enjoying learning what the car can do and how it compares to what I’ve raced before. It’s a great platform and really rewarding when you get it right.
“Glen and I have done a fair bit of endurance racing together in the North Island Endurance Series, running a BMW. We work well as a pairing, and I think we’ll make a strong combination for this event.
“With that said, this will be my first time racing with Racelab, but I’m really looking forward to it. I’ve raced against them a couple of times before, and they’re a really polished outfit, so it’ll be great to be part of their program.
“Hopefully, we’re at the pointy end of the field and can take the fight to some of the frontrunners. There’s some tough competition, but we’ll give it everything we’ve got and see how we go.”
As for Chappel, the bronze-rated driver has recently stepped into GT and circuit racing, having only driven a GT4 car twice before, but with experience in a number of endurance drives and some limited sprint races.
Being a late bloomer to circuit racing, the majority of Chappel’s motorsport experience came in early adulthood after he graduated from karting, where he competed in a range of club rallies and hill climbs before taking a break from the sport.
In his return to racing, he made the jump to circuit competition and ran in the endurance series. In recent times, Chappel and Varney have linked up to share a BMW in GT New Zealand endurance racing.
“I’m definitely looking forward to getting back on track and competing against both the younger and more experienced Australian drivers to see how we benchmark,” Chappel said.
“I’ve followed Monochrome GT4 Australia quite closely this year, especially since I’ve raced GT4 cars in endurance events. That’s given me more interest in the category and a better understanding of how the series operates.
“I’m an Am driver, so my goal is to benchmark myself against the other Am competitors. I’m a bit older than some of the others, but I still want to see how I measure up against the younger guys.
“While I’ve only driven the GT4 car twice, this will be my third time out. I really like the concept of GT4 and the value it offers.
“Shaun and I have done a couple of endurance rounds together – running his car in the one-hour race and mine in the three-hour. We’re a good pairing with similar pace, and although we like to have fun, we’re both competitive and don’t like to lose, so we’ll be going hard.”
Like Varney, Chappel has also made the journey over the Tasman Sea to compete in a Bathurst 6 Hour, making his debut in the popular event alongside Steve Brooks and Bill Riding last year.
While Chappel showed plenty of pace at Mount Panorama, recording the race’s fastest lap in class, unfortunately, the trio retired just before the halfway mark – ending what had been a solid performance.
Varney, Chappel and the Racelab team will feature in the final round of the 2025 Monochrome GT4 Australia season at Hampton Downs on 31 October – 2 November.
Purchase tickets to GT Festival Hampton Downs via speedseries.com.au/tickets
Header Image: Supplied
