Hunter Abbott

Hunter Abbott
Hunter Abbott
Born	December 4, 1980 (age 45); Windsor, Berkshire, England
Occupation(s)	Racing driver, entrepreneur, innovator
Known for	2017 Blancpain GT Series Asia Champion; founder of AlcoSense Laboratories

Hunter David Abbott (born 4 December 1980 in Windsor, Berkshire) is a British professional racing driver, entrepreneur, and innovator. His racing portfolio includes participation in sportscars, GT vehicles, and Touring Cars. Abbott secured the title of 2017 Blancpain GT Series Asia Champion and claimed the RAC Trophy following his triumph at the 2021 Silverstone 500.

He is the founder, proprietor, and managing director of AlcoSense Laboratories, a company specializing in the design, development, and manufacture of alcohol breathalysers marketed under the AlcoSense brand. Abbott holds several patents related to breath alcohol measurement technology and contributes as an expert member of the Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety.

In recognition of his 2017 Blancpain GT Series Asia championship victory driving a Mercedes-AMG GT3 for GruppeM Motorsport, Abbott was awarded a "Gold Star" on the Wall of Champions at the Mercedes-AMG headquarters in Affalterbach, Germany. His domestic and international racing accomplishments earned him induction into the BRDC in 2018.

Early years

Abbott embarked on his racing journey in 1995, capturing the HKC Junior TKM Championship during his debut season. He advanced through Senior TKM and Formula 100C categories within the Super 1 National Kart Championships, achieving fourth place overall in 1998 and competing in the European Intercontinental A Championships. The following year, he progressed to Formula A while continuing participation in the Super 1 National Kart Championships.

Following a break from motorsport between 2000 and early 2003 due to financial constraints, Abbott returned to compete in Radical Enduro championship events where he attained multiple podium finishes. In 2004, driving for Martin Donnelly Racing alongside Nigel Redwood, he dominated the Radical Enduro season by winning eight races and securing eleven pole positions—setting a new series record.

Oval Racing

Abbott ventured into UK Oval Racing in 2005 with Torquespeed Racing in the SCSA series, where he earned the Rookie Championship title. His performances garnered attention from Autosport Magazine as a 'One to Watch' and he was honored as "Driver of the Year" by NASCAR's Roush Racing. After sitting out the Oval season in 2006 to focus on British GT competition, he returned in 2007 to finish second overall in SCSA.

24 Hour Racing

In 2016, Abbott competed in the Dubai 24 Hour endurance race with CWS Racing piloting a Ginetta G55 GT4. Despite encountering mechanical difficulties late in the event, he secured second place within the SP3 class.

GT racing

Abbott shifted focus to GT racing in 2006, initially contesting the British GT GTC category with RPM Motorsport behind the wheel of a Porsche 996 GT3. Midway through that season, he joined Specialist Direct team. After dedicating 2007 primarily to Oval racing, Abbott partnered with Rob Austin Racing starting in 2008, achieving numerous class victories and podium finishes within British GT's GT4 division.

A significant moment occurred at Oulton Park in 2008 when Abbott survived a major accident involving his Ginetta flipping and catching fire; prompt emergency response minimized injury. Remarkably, he returned two weeks later to claim a double win at Knockhill. In 2009, Abbott continued with Rob Austin Racing before switching to Stark Racing for selected rounds, finishing fourth overall in GT4 despite missing part of that season.

Additionally, Abbott competed full-time in the GT4 European Series alongside Rob Austin Racing and Henry Fletcher, placing sixth overall in 2009 and improving to fifth after partial participation in 2010.

In 2016, Abbott made a one-off appearance in British GT for Grasser Racing Team driving a Lamborghini Huracan GT3; he led until an unfortunate retirement on the final lap.

The subsequent year saw Abbott capture both overall and Pro-AM GT3 titles in Blancpain GT Series Asia with GruppeM Racing and Pagani Cars China behind the wheel of a Mercedes-AMG GT3. He also participated selectively in VLN races for Walkenhorst Motorsport and substituted for injured drivers during Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup rounds with commendable performances.

Throughout 2018 and 2019, Abbott continued competing in VLN events with Walkenhorst Motorsport’s BMW M6 GT3 entries, achieving multiple podiums alongside various co-drivers.

In early 2020, Abbott contested the European Le Mans Series season opener at Paul Ricard driving JMW Motorsport’s Ferrari 488 GTE; after finishing fourth he withdrew from further rounds due to COVID-19 concerns.

As pandemic restrictions eased in 2021, Abbott joined forces with 2 Seas Motorsport for the Silverstone 500 endurance race. Partnered with Martin Kodric in an AMG GT GT3 Evo, they secured pole position and claimed overall victory—earning the distinguished RAC Trophy first awarded in 1932.

One-Make Racing

Abbott made a singular appearance in the 2008 Ginetta G50 Cup at Brands Hatch GP, where he remarkably secured two pole positions despite having no prior familiarity with the vehicle. Although contact ended his first race prematurely, he triumphed in the second race.

During the 2012 Ginetta GT Supercup, Abbott competed in a Ginetta G55 for Century Motorsport, supported by sponsors Armour Electronics and Outback BBQs. He concluded the season sixth overall, achieving two podium finishes in third place.

In 2013, Abbott took part in the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Benelux behind the wheel of a Porsche 997 GT3 Cup Gen 2, backed by Petronas Oil, Armour Electronics, and Outback BBQs. He secured second place in the championship, finishing behind former Midland F1 test driver Jeffrey van Hooydonk and ahead of factory Audi racer Christiaan Frankenhout.

Touring Car Racing

Abbott transitioned into touring car competition in 2014, joining Rob Austin Racing to compete in the British Touring Car Championship driving an NGTC-spec Audi A4. He scored points on his debut and frequently placed within the top 10, ultimately earning the top Rookie position in the Jack Sears Trophy with an impressive tally of 96 overtakes—the highest among all drivers that season.

Continuing with Rob Austin Racing under the Exocet Racing banner in 2015, Abbott was sponsored by Exocet Fuel Additives. Although he missed one round due to personal reasons, he consistently achieved multiple top-10 finishes and wrapped up the year 21st in the Drivers Championship standings.

In 2016, Abbott switched to driving a front-wheel-drive Chevrolet Cruze for Power Maxed Racing, supported by Power Maxed car care products. He managed to qualify within the top five on several occasions and recorded a fastest lap at Snetterton; however, his best race result was a 10th-place finish at Silverstone, ending the season ranked 19th overall.

Lap Records

Abbott currently holds or has previously set lap records at these venues:

2000 – Brands Hatch Indy Circuit competing in Formula First
2008 – Zolder circuit in GT4 class
2008 – Donington Park in GT4 category
2009 – Spa Francorchamps racing in GT4

Famous crashes

On 22 March 2008, during the opening round of the British GT Championship at Oulton Park, Abbott experienced a severe high-speed accident exceeding 100 mph while driving a Rob Austin Racing Ginetta G50. After colliding with Peter Snowdon's Aston Martin, his car impacted barriers at full speed, flipped multiple times clearing safety fencing, and came to rest upside down before igniting. The fire was caused by damage to the roof skin and fuel filler pipes that led to fuel leaking inside the vehicle. Trapped for approximately 18 seconds due to a jammed driver's door, Abbott escaped through the passenger side with assistance from marshals. Prompt response minimized injuries to minor burns. Remarkably, he returned to racing within two weeks and achieved a double victory at Knockhill. The incident attracted widespread media attention.

On 31 July 2016 at Snetterton, Abbott was involved in a multi-car collision on the starting grid while competing for Power Maxed Racing in the British Touring Car Championship. The crash was initiated by contact between Mark Howard's Volkswagen CC and Alex Martin's Ford Focus. Abbott's car rolled several times, toppled a TV tower, and came to rest atop safety barriers. He suffered a concussion but no other injuries were reported. Howard and Martin were penalized for their roles in causing the incident.

Complete British GT Championship results

(key) (bold denotes pole position; italics signify fastest lap)

Year	Team	Car	Class	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	DC	Points
2006	RPM	Porsche 911 GT3	GTC	OUL 1 12	OUL 2 Ret	DON 1 15	PAU 1 7	PAU 2 7	MON 1 Ret	MON 2 Ret	SNE 1 Ret	SNE 2 12						13th	30
2006	Specialist Direct	Porsche 911 GT3	GTC												BRH 1 16	BRH 2 7	SIL 1 18
2008	Rob Austin Racing	Ginetta G50	GT4	OUL 1 DNS	OUL 2 DNS	'KNO 1 9	'KNO 2 Ret	'ROC 1 14	'ROC 2 10	'SNE 1 16	'SNE 2 15	'THR 1 14	THR 2 DSQ	'BRH 1 12	'BRH 2 11	'SIL 1 7	'DON 1 11	2nd	80

Complete British Touring Car Championship results

(key) (Bold races indicate pole position – awarding one point in the first race) (Italic races denote fastest lap – one point granted in every race) (* indicates the driver led at least one lap – one point given in all races)

Year	Team	Car	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16
2014	Rob Austin#AlcoSense Breathalysers Racing	Audi A4	BRH 1 18	BRH 2 18	BRH 3 15	DON 1 Ret	DON 2 Ret	DON 3 24	THR 1 24	THR 2 Ret	THR 3 16	OUL 1 24	OUL 2 16	OUL 3 Ret	CRO 1 10	CRO 2 Ret	CRO 3 11	[[Snetterton Motor Racing Circuit#BTCC_results (Snetterton)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snetterton_Motor_Racing_Circuit)#British_Touring_Car_Championship](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Touring_Car_Championship) SNE 1]] Template:Small 20 ... [Table continues as per original, preserving all data and formatting]
2015 British Touring Car Championship season#Summary_and_results	Rob Austin#2015_season_with_Exocet_AlcoSense_Racing	Audi A4	{{RaceResult BRH-1=18 BRH-2=11 BRH-3=10 DON-1=19 DON-2=17 DON-3=14 THR-1=16 THR-2=14 THR-3=21 OUL-1=18 OUL-2=23 OUL-3=16 CRO-1=16 CRO-2=12 CRO-3=16 SNE-1=18 SNE-2=12 SNE-3=17 KNO-1=DNS KNO-2=DNS KNO-3=DNS ROC-1=23 ROC-2=23 ROC-3=Ret SIL-1=24 SIL-2=26 SIL-3=Ret BRH-1a=16 BRH-2a=21 BRH-3a=17 }}	21st	23
2016 British Touring Car Championship season#Summary_and_results	Power Maxed Racing#2016_season	Chevrolet Cruze	{{RaceResult BRH-1=Ret BRH-2=15 BRH-3=13 DON-1=15 DON-2=14 DON-3=12 THR-1=15 THR-2=Ret THR-3=Ret OUL-1=11 OUL-2=11 OUL-3=19 CRO-1=Ret CRO-2=19 CRO-3=Ret SNE-1=15 SNE-2=Ret SNE-3=Ret KNO-1=20 KNO-2=22 KNO-3=Ret ROC-1=26 ROC-2=NC ROC-3=14 SIL-1=13 SIL-2=10 SIL-3=13 BRH-1a=Ret BRH-2a=17 BRH-3a=Ret }}	19th	38

Full European Le Mans Series Results

(legend) (Events highlighted in bold denote pole positions; results shown in italics represent fastest laps)

Year	Team	Category	Vehicle	Powertrain	1	2	3	4	5	Final Position	Points Scored
2020	JMW Motorsport	LMGTE	Ferrari 488 GTE Evo	Ferrari F154CB 3.9 L Turbocharged V8	LEC 4	SPA	LEC	MNZ	ALG	15th	12

External links