LATEST NEWS

JENSON TEAM ROCKET RJN CONFIRM SWITCH TO MCLAREN 720S GT3 DIDCOT, OXON, UK (February 10th, 2020) – Championship winning team, Jenson Team Rocket RJN have confirmed an entry in the GT World Challenge Europe for 2020 with a switch to the McLaren 720S GT3. 

The Team was formed in late 2018 by Formula One World Champion Jenson Button, alongside his long time friend and business partner Chris Buncombe and RJN team founder Bob Neville. 


The 2019 season saw Jenson Team Rocket RJN debut in the GT World Challenge Europe championship – formerly the Blancpain Endurance Cup – debuting at the season-opener in Monza and taking a season- best 4th-place finish in the Silver Cup at the 24 Hours of Spa. Drivers are yet to be confirmed and will be announced in the coming weeks, however, the programme will see the familiar #22 on the side of the McLaren 720S GT3 to compete for either Silver or Pro-Am honours. 


‘Following our hugely encouraging inaugural season in 2019, I’m delighted that 2020 will see the team competing with the McLaren 720S GT3. Twelve months ago we launched this project with Bob Neville at Team RJN and narrowly missed out on our first podium at the Spa 24 Hours. The fantastic commitment of the drivers and entire team means the foundations have been set from which we can build a very successful programme. The GT World Challenge continues to become increasingly competitive and provides some of the toughest racing in the world. It’s a fantastic place to be for the team and a great platform to help develop young drivers’ Jenson Button 


We start the season again with another new challenge for the team but one that is very exciting. We very much look forward to getting familiar with the 720S GT3 and working with the McLaren Customer Racing team down in Woking. It’s the perfect start for our 10 year racing with the SRO in their GT Championships and I’m very much looking forward to the season kicking off in Monza’ Bob Neville 


‘I believe that working with McLaren Customer Racing will give us a platform to develop the long term future for this project. It’s no secret that the ambition is to expand to 2 cars, hopefully to include a Pro entry and be able to take the team outside of Europe into the Intercontinental GT Challenge in the future. Whilst we are yet to run the 720S GT3, it’s clear that McLaren have done a fantastic job with the car and great to see such a strong start to the season for them in Bathurst a couple of weeks ago’ Chris Buncombe 

ENDS 

Friday 08 Feb 2019

Jenson Team Rocket RJN to challenge for Silver Cup in 2019 Blancpain Endurance Series with a Honda NSX GT3 Evo

Multiple GT championship-winning team, RJN Motorsport, today announce a new partnership with 2009 Formula One World Champion, Jenson Button, and a change of brand to Honda.

Jenson Team Rocket RJN will initially run a single Honda NSX GT3 Evo in the 2019 Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup Silver Category with the possibility of a second car joining the project for the 24 Hours of Spa in July.

The partnership hails a return of the Rocket name to Motorsport. Jenson’s late Father, John Button, founded the Rocket Motorsport team in karting winning 11 British Championships in junior categories and helping to promote not only the talent of Jenson, but numerous others including Lewis Hamilton, Will Stevens, Oliver Rowland & James Calado.

Created 20 years ago, RJN Motorsport have run a variety of projects in touring cars, Dakar rally raids and GT racing. The team have competed in the Blancpain GT Series since it began in 2011 and have won both Teams’ and Drivers’ titles in GT3 & GT4.

The change of manufacturer relationship marks a new chapter for Team Principal, Bob Neville and the RJN Team. Jenson has a long and successful history with Honda in Formula One and most recently won the 2018 Super GT title in Japan in the Honda NSX GT500.

The new partnership also sees former RJN driver and 2018 Blancpain Endurance Pro-Am Champion, Chris Buncombe, oversee various commercial aspects of the GT3 programme as well as other Rocket Motorsport projects with Jenson.

Jenson Button commented “It’s great to be a part of this exciting new chapter with RJN and to bring the Rocket name back into racing. I’m sure a number of current drivers remember Rocket from back in their karting days and I hope we can use this platform to help with new young talent in GT and endurance racing.

“As a Honda Ambassador, I’m pleased to be a part of something that brings the Honda NSX to the Blancpain GT Series and I’m looking forward to seeing this project evolve”.

Bob Neville commented “I’m delighted and privileged to be in partnership with Jenson to race the superb NSX GT3 Evo. The team are preparing for the challenge of running what is a new car to us in the most competitive endurance championship in the world.

“We look forward to announcing the driver line-up in the coming weeks.

“I would especially like to thank JAS Motorsport for their hard work to enable the project to come together in such a short time-frame”.

Stefano Fini, JAS Motorsport NSX GT3 Project Leader, commented: “It is fantastic to see the NSX GT3 Evo competing full-time in the Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup, and especially with an experienced championship-winning team like RJN and involvement from Jenson Button who has achieved so much within the Honda Racing family. There is anincredible amount of potential with this project and I’m sure they will do an extremely good job as they hunt for success in the Silver Cup.”