John Greasley
1942 - 2025
British GT Champion and Racing Team Owner
John Greasley, one of the most successful drivers in the British GT Championship and its first British overall champion passed away aged 83 on 14 April after a long illness.
In a career strongly associated with the Porsche marque, John will probably be most remembered for running the Porsche GT1 and GT2 cars adorned in their distinctive Blue Coral livery.
John initially began his racing career in rallycross, finding success in Europe and the UK with a Porsche 911 before turning to circuit racing and joining forces with Autofarm and the inimitable Josh Sadler. Autofarm sponsored John in the late ‘80s as he campaigned in a 911 Turbo Sport.
John subsequently acquired a Porsche 935 K3 and in 1990 he won his class in the Autofarm Modified Challenge. Throughout the 1990s John enjoyed growing success, first in the BRDC National GT Challenge, where he won his class in 1993. The following year he ran a 993 Turbo, developing it and running it in the early years of the British GT Championship although with limited success.
As well as competing in the British GT Championship John entered the BPR Global GT Endurance four-hour races at Donington Park and Silverstone, where he was joined by John Morrison.
In 1997, with a third John, John Kegg, they won rounds of the Privilege Insurance British GT Championship earning them the GT1 title and second overall in the final results. John Greasley also competed more widely in races in Sebring and Laguna Seca, and he achieved overall victory with Magnus Wallinder and Geoff Lister in Zhuhai in China.
In 1998 John and Magnus had further successes in the British GT Championship winning rounds at Silverstone and Donington Park. John also shared a 911 GT2 EVO with Maxwell Beaverbrook and Geoff Lister in BPR GT races across Europe including Spa, and Nurburgring.
As well as competing in Porsches John also raced in Ferraris toward the end of his racing career eventually retiring from racing after the 2007 season in a Ferrari F430 in the FIA GT3 Series.
The BRDC website writes that John was ‘popular with his peers, renowned for his kindness and generosity off track but very competitive in action while never losing sight of the fact that motor racing is a sport’
A fine tribute and Porsche Club GB offers its sincere condolences to John’s wife Susanne and all his family.
Details of John’s 7 May funeral at Crownhill Crematorium, Milton Keynes can be found on the BRDC website.