McElrea Racing and Morris will join forces in 2025 for a collaborative charge in Monochrome GT4 Australia, with Nathan Murray set to pilot a BMW M4 GT4 G82 EVO for the full six-round season.
With Murray making his return to racing after three years on the sidelines, the former Porsche Sprint Challenge driver is linking up with the esteemed McElrea Racing team in the growing GT4 category.
Murray will tackle the first three rounds of the season as a solo entry, with the potential for his son Jay to join him for the remaining three rounds—pending whether the current Australian Karting Championship KZ Karter successfully completes a test program in the middle of the year.
Heading into his GT4 Australia debut season, Murray has had a few solid years in national-level racing, including three successful campaigns in the Porsche Sprint Challenge—a stint that proved quite challenging due to business and work commitments.
However, with Morris now thriving, Murray has the ability to return to the sport and put 100 per cent focus into each round, with the hopes of eventually turning into a class title contender.
By collaborating with McElrea Racing, Murray will be working with a team that boasts an impressive résumé in Australian GT racing.
Led by Andy McElrea, the team previously ran Tony Walls in a McLaren for three years, securing multiple wins, while also guiding Matt Campbell, David Calvert-Jones, Patrick Long, and Marc Lieb to an outright Bathurst 12 Hour runner-up finish and a Pro-Am class win in 2017. Outside of GT Racing, McElrea has a highly succcessful program in both Porsche Carrera Cup and Porsche Sprint Challenge.
Murray and McElrea Racing will have limited testing time ahead of next month’s opening round, with the BMW having only just arrived in Australia from Germany last week.
The 2025 Monochrome GT4 Australia season kicks off at Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit as part of the Shannons SpeedSeries GT Festival at Phillip Island on 4–6 April.
Purchase tickets to the season opener via speedseries.com.au/tickets
QUOTES
Nathan Murray
#5 BMW M4 GT4 G82 EVO driver
“When I did the Porsche Sprint Challenge series a few years back, I didn’t have the ability to fully focus on it as I was trying to juggle the company and racing at the same time, but I now have a very capable executive team who can handle the work side of things whilst I'm at each event, allowing me to enjoy racing instead of worrying about anything else,” Murray said.
“That three-year stint also proved difficult as we were doing everything ourselves, so I said that if I ever came back to racing, I would do it with a greater team around me. Aligning with McElrea Racing was an easy decision—especially as they are an incredibly successful outfit with world class driver coaches, engineers and mechanics, their results in Australian Carrera Cup and Sprint Challenge over the past decade confirm this.
“As it’s our first year back, there are no expectations. Our first three events will be about understanding the car, and hopefully, we’ll be pushing for results by the end of the year. Andy will be backing me to improve, and I will entrust him with every move I make.
“For me, GT4 Australia is the perfect launching pad for anyone who wants to start a GT journey. That was the main motivation behind both myself and potentially Jay getting involved this year.
“Jay just turned 16, and this will be his last year in karts. Hopefully, he can get some good test days in by mid-year and then join me as a co-driver for the final three rounds".
“BMW Australia and Germany’s M-Sport and John Evans have been first-class throughout the process, so a big thankyou to them. I can’t wait to get out there and run one of just 50 BMW M4 GT4 G82 EVOs in the world, in our own branded livery for the first time which will also kick start further commercial partnerships in the industry."
Andy McElrea
McElrea Racing Team Manager
“We are extremely excited to get back into Australian GT racing and are really looking forward to working with Nathan for the 2025 season,” said McElrea.
“This collaborative effort between us and Nathan is a win-win for both parties. It allows us to come back into GT racing, in which we have a proud history, while also giving Nathan the chance to return to the sport in a category suited to his journey.
“It’s also an interesting prospect to have Jay join midway through the season. He is an accomplished karter, so we will see how he performs in a test session midway through the year. Subject to his results, we’d like to put him in the car.
“We will be keeping a close eye on Jay's development this year and hopefully working with him in the future. It would be great to see him start his journey outside of karts in a category like GT4 Australia.”