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.
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.
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.
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.
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