Two-time Australian Prototype Series champion and John-Paul Drake has confirmed he will make his Monochrome GT4 Australia debut at next week's GT Festival The Bend.
The noted South Australian businessman will join Loclan Hennock in one of Method Motorsport’s two McLaren Artura GT4 cars at the Shell V-Power Motorsport Park round, replacing the young gun’s regular co-driver in Nathan Morcom.
A loyal competitor in the Australian Prototype Series for more than a decade, racing a variety of West and most recently Wolf open-top sports cars, Drake broke through for his maiden crown in 2023.
Having also previously dabbled in Australian Formula 4 and Radical Cup Australia, Monochrome GT4 Australia provides a new challenge for Drake.
The announcement comes off the back of a successful test at Shell V-Power Motorsport Park where Drake was able to acclimatise to the different driving style required to get the most of the McLaren package, earning the tick of approval from Chaz Mostert and the full Method Motorsport outfit.
Hennock sits eighth in the Silver Cup standings following the opening four rounds after being partnered by the experienced Morcom.
The penultimate round of the 2025 Monochrome GT4 Australia season will be held at Shell V-Power Motorsport Park on September 5-7 as part of the final Shannons SpeedSeries event in Australia for the year.
Tickets to GT Festival can be purchased via speedseries.com.au/tickets, while both of the series’ races will be shown live and free via 7plus.
QUOTES
John-Paul Drake
#24 Method Motorsport McLaren Artura GT4
“I’m super excited to be having a crack in Monochrome GT4 Australia,” revealed Drake.
“Everyone knows I’m a bit of a Prototype man and to be honest I do love them, but when Loclan rang me up and asked whether I'd race with him in Adelaide as they were searching for a driver, it was an easy question to accept.
“I’m a McLaren tragic. I rate them over any other brand, so I’m pumped.
“I haven’t driven many track race cars before, so having the test day was mega and I actually really enjoyed it. The thing that blew me away the most was the braking ability of the McLaren – it’s the first time ever I have been told not to hold the brake so hard.
“It’s a very different style to driving the Prototype car, but the more laps I got, the better and more comfortable I felt in the vehicle. I’m super impressed with how the Method Motorsport crew treated me throughout the day.
“My advantage on entering the upcoming event is that I know how to drive The Bend, I just don’t know how to drive it in a race car scenario.
“I’m looking to do more long distance racing, which the prototypes don’t give me that type of endurance. I am very interested in doing more endurance style races in the future, whether that be in Australia or overseas – I’m open for negotiation.”
John-Paul Drake to join Monochrome GT4 Australia at The Bend
