Young driver wins prestigious McLaren sponsorship five years after racing fan father’s death

Brock Gilchrist, 20, has been awarded a fully-funded season in a McLaren GT4 with the Giltrap Motorsport Junior Scholarship.

A young Kiwi driver has won the opportunity of a lifetime with a fully funded season in a McLaren 570s GT4 to race in the upcoming GTNZ Championship - five years on from tragedy rocking his family.

Talented driver Brock Gilchrist, 20, took out the lucrative deal which is the first time it has been offered by Giltrap Group.

The Giltrap Motorsport Junior Scholarship will see Gilchrist set for the season in a $375,000 McLaren with running costs for all six weekends covered by sponsorship with SP Tools and Smeg. The season kicks off in Taupo in November.

The McLaren GT4 is worth $375,000 and the scholarship comes with all season expenses including pit crew and media training.

Gilchrist, whose first name is a nod to motorsport legend Peter Brock, said the scholarship was an “amazing opportunity” and he was looking forward to the series.

“To drive a McLaren is a dream come true so I am forever grateful to everyone who put this together,” Gilchrist, who lost his father about five years ago, said.

Gilchrist joins the list of successful drivers who have been supported by Giltrap Motorsport including Scott Dixon, Liam Lawson, Callum Hedge and Shane van Gisbergen.

The deal comes hot on the heels of Gilchrist winning the Toyota 86 Championship in May 2023.

Brock Gilchrist won this year's Toyota 86 Championship.

Giltrap Motorsport team boss Owen Evans said the aim of the scholarship “was to give New Zealand’s brightest young motorsport talent the best possible opportunity to shine” and said Brock was the “perfect candidate” for the hotly contested race seat.

“Brock is the Toyota 86 champion and he won it in style, taking on seasoned competitors with international experience in a one-make series,” Evans said.

“At 20, we feel he is ready to step up to car racing, because he’s not only proven that he’s very quick, but he’s also got a reputation for looking after the race car; an important factor in endurance racing.”

As part of his Toyota 86 win, Gilchrist was also awarded an all-expenses paid trip to Europe to race a GR Supra GT4 Evo in the third round of the ADAC GT4 Championship at the renowned Nurburgring track in Germany.

Mum Ursula said that opportunity, in August this year, was a turning point for her son who stepped up and grew in confidence and cemented his path in the sport.

Brock, when he was 10, with father Brent, who passed away five years ago.

Five years earlier Brock’s racing-mad father Brent Gilchrist died unexpectedly leaving the young driver’s future in doubt.

Ursula stepped in, securing much-needed sponsorship and making sure Brent’s vision for their son stayed on track.

“When Brent passed away the motorsport community pulled together to support Brock and our family,” she said.

“They say it takes a village and for us, the motorsport community was our village.”

Brock Gilchrist, pictured with mum Ursula Gilchrist, has won the inaugural Giltrap Motorsport Junior Scholarship.

Ursula said when Brock won the Giltrap scholarship and the driver’s seat in the McLaren he “shared a moment with Brent”.

“He looked at the McLaren and took a moment to think about his dad,” she said.

“Brent is always with us but Brock is a young man now and he‘s worked hard to forge his pathway in motorsport and I’m incredibly proud of that.”