Lachlan Mineeff has announced a full-time campaign alongside reigning Monochrome GT4 Australia Champion Shane Smollen in the 2024 series, driving Smollen’s Porsche Cayman GT4RS.
In an exciting development, the #1 Porsche will be run by Method Motorsport, the GT4 team co-owned by Supercars star Chaz Mostert. It will be engineered by former Bathurst 1000-winning engineer Dr Geoff Slater, who also works as Technical Director for the Team 18 Supercars outfit.
Mineeff had a taste of GT4 competition when he joined Smollen for last year’s Queensland Raceway round, the duo qualifying on pole position and finishing second overall.
The 21-year-old Southern Highlands racer said the rapidly increasing popularity of GT4 in Australia made it an attractive option for 2024.
“GT4 in Australia was already showing signs of rapid growth last season, and this year with the involvement of SRO and more cars arriving in the country, it’s going to be even bigger and better,” Mineeff said.
“I really enjoyed the round I did with Shane last year – the Porsche was sensational to drive and I adapted to it quickly. However, with some of the drivers coming into the category this year, I’m expecting the competition to be much tougher. Fortunately, Shane is one of the best “Am” drivers in Australia, so together we will make a strong combination.”
After a few seasons competing in TCR Australia with his family-run Purple Sector Racing outfit, Mineeff is looking forward to utilising the resources of the Method Motorsport squad and tapping into Chaz Mostert’s knowledge base.
“At race meetings, it will be nice to be able to focus purely on my driving rather than dealing with the logistical challenges of running a race team, and I’m excited to pick Chaz’s brain – he obviously has a wealth of experience and success in all different types of cars, so his feedback will be invaluable,” he said.
Smollen is looking forward to another season aboard the Porsche Cayman GT4.
“I’ve had a fair bit of experience racing Porsche products, including Carrera Cup cars, and the Cayman has all the hallmarks of the brand – it’s beautifully built,” Smollen said.
“Lachlan has shown maturity beyond his years and he’s also very fast, while I’m also pleased to contribute to Chaz’s journey as a team owner. In addition to being able to access Chaz’s racing knowledge, we’re also going to have the engineering nous of Dr Geoff Slater, which will be highly beneficial for both Lachlan and myself.”
Mostert is pleased to welcome the Mineeff/Smollen duo to the Method Motorsport family.
“I’m so excited to welcome Lachlan to Method Motorsport, joining Shane for his title defence,” Mostert said.
“I’ve seen what Lachlan has been able to achieve as a privateer in TCR the last few years so I can’t wait to see what he can do in a full GT4 season with Shane.
“As a team, we will be chasing both Pro-Am and outright success this year, which gives us some goals to work towards.”
The 2024 Monochrome GT4 Australia Series commences at Phillip Island on 12-14 April.
2024 Monochrome GT4 Australia Calendar
Round 1 – Phillip Island, 12-14 April (sprint)
Round 2 – The Bend Motorsport Park, 31 May-2 June (sprint)
Round 3 – Queensland Raceway, 2-4 August (enduro)
Round 4 – TBC, 30 August-1 September (enduro)
Round 5 – Sydney Motorsport Park, 18-20 October (sprint)
Round 6 – Mount Panorama, 8-10 November (sprint)
