For TF Sport, 2014 heralded the beginning of a new and exciting journey into the top flight of sportscar racing and the year will be looked back on with fondness, having yielded several high-profile triumphs that marked the Redhill, Surrey-based operation out as a formidable team, destined for greatness.

Formed by ex-British Touring Car and British GT driver, Tom Ferrier, the fledgling TF Sport team set out its stall early, confirming its intentions for a full-time assault on the Avon Tyres British GT Championship, as well as partial campaigns in the Blancpain Endurance Series, International GT Open and Dutch Supercar Challenge.

Even before it had turned a wheel in anger, its lofty ambitions and capabilities were rubber stamped when, in what was a significant coup for the young team, it was selected to join an exclusive and esteemed club as an official Aston Martin Racing Partner Team – a prestigious honour shared among only ten teams worldwide.

With advanced technical support and feedback from Aston Martin Racing’s highly-skilled engineers, TF Sport’s original intention was to field a sole Aston Martin V12 Vantage GT3 for Paul Bailey and Andy Schulz, although its British GT programme soon expanded.

Determined to extend Aston Martin’s commitment to nurturing fresh, new driving talent, TF Sport opted to provide prospective GT stars with a solid platform on which to hone their ability in preparation for careers in GT3 and beyond.

It would endeavour to bring young, aspiring racers through the Aston Martin brand under the TF Sport umbrella and began by fielding a single GT4-spec V8 Vantage for Aston Martin GT4 Champion, Andrew Jarman, and Renault UK Clio Cup hotshot, Devon Modell.

The signs were good following pre-season testing at Oulton Park and four months of intense preparations paid dividends during the British GT curtain-raiser on the picturesque and undulating Cheshire circuit.

Up against a plethora of state-of-the-art GT3 and GT4-spec cars, reigning British GTC Champion pairing, Bailey and Schulz, battled inside the top ten, while Jarman and Modell raced to a GT4 class win and a podium finish at the first time of asking.

Despite a valiant attempt, points remained elusive in the headlining GT3 division. However, TF Sport went on to tick all the boxes in the second round of the British GT Championship at Rockingham Motor Speedway, Bailey and Schulz finishing ninth in the final classification and Jarman and Modell once again scaling the third step of the GT4 winners’ rostrum.

A reconnaissance of the Dutch Supercar Challenge and Blancpain Endurance Series – two of many sporadic exploratory outings in the world’s Blue Riband GT contests – followed.

The latter served as an opportunity for TF Sport to bed-in to the Silverstone Grand Prix track ahead of the British GT ‘Silverstone 500’, which gave way to yet more podium success for the team’s GT4 entry; another third place came after a great deal of adversity and closely-fought tussles, and re-established the team at the top of the class leaderboard.

There was hope that TF Sport could continue forging ahead in GT3 and consolidate its GT4 championship lead and the Surrey-based squad really “flexed its mussels” on Belgium’s legendary Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, where it raced to what would be a season’s best eighth place in GT3 and victory in GT4, following another hotly-contested fracas.

Having originally entered the fray with an open mind and relatively modest designs on podiums, there was a huge sense of achievement and pride for taking the GT4 championship fight down to the wire at Donington Park’s season finale.

Elsewhere, TF Sport was selected to represent Aston Martin Racing in the fourth round of the rapidly-expanding International GT Open at Silverstone and fielded a sole GT3-spec V12 Vantage for AMR regular Darren Turner and up-and-coming GT star, Jody Fannin.

A dominant lights-to-flag victory and a podium finish left the opposition dazed and only served to stoke TF Sport’s fire for more top three results. Drama ensued on its return to the Dutch Supercar Challenge at TT Circuit Assen in The Netherlands and a sixth was the best the team could muster, although Bailey and Schulz were delighted to take their Ferrari 458 Italia GTC to first and second-place finishes on their GT Cup debut at Brands Hatch.

Ultimately, TF Sport acquitted itself remarkably well and was more than content to conclude a highly successful 2014 season second in the final GT4 classification of the Avon Tyres British GT Championship with six class podiums – including two race victories at Oulton Park and Spa – to its name, in addition to various other high-profile triumphs.