Chris Dittmann Racing has filled two of its three seats for the 2022 GB3 Championship, with F4 British Championship race-winner McKenzy Cresswell joining the Tewkesbury team on Wednesday.
In just his first season out of karting, he took third in the British F4 standings after winning six races, more than eventual champion Matthew Rees and Matias Zagazeta in second.
The British driver also finished runner-up to JHR Developments team-mate Rees in the Rookie Cup, over 100 points ahead of the third-placed driver in the category after 11 overall podiums throughout the season.
His performance, and those of Rees, Dougie Bolger, Abbi Pulling and Joseph Loake also helped JHR to the Teams’ Championship ahead of Fortec Motorsport.
In finishing just a point behind Zagazeta and 26 behind Rees (equivalent to a Race 1/3 win with the fastest lap), Cresswell made enough of an impression on Chris Dittmann for his eponymous team to sign the 15-year-old for 2022.
His first win came in Cheshire, taking the spoils by five seconds in Race 2 after four podiums in the first nine races of the season.
His win tally rose with victories at Knockhill, Croft (x2) and Brands Hatch (2), taking him to an average of a win every five races.
Starting his karting career in the USA, Cresswell returned to race in Britain and Europe in Junior Rotax competition from the age of 12 until 14.
Having taken part in several days of testing with CDR at various circuits since the GB3 season ended in October, the British driver feels he has made a positive start with the team.
“The aim was always to step up to GB3 and there were several options on the table,” he said.
“Over the past three years CDR has been one of the most successful teams in GB3 with many wins and podiums.
“They also have a very collaborative and structured method for developing the car and driver so it’s a great fit for me.
“We’ve got a solid pre-season testing programme in place so we should be well-prepared come the start of the season.”
“We’re delighted to confirm McKenzy in our GB3 team for 2022,” Team Principal Chris Dittmann added.
“We’ve been following his progress very closely over the last year and he did an excellent job to win more races than any other driver in his first F4 season.
“We tested him at Snetterton recently, he did an outstanding job and fitted into the team so well.
“We were very keen to finalise a deal with him and are extremely excited to have him with us for next year.
“Working with Branden [Oxley], I think we’ve got a very talented driver line-up and we can’t wait to get our testing programme underway after Christmas.
“Interest in our final seat is extremely high and we’re very excited to finalise our full driver line-up in the coming weeks.”