Jonny started racing at the age of twelve in 1996, racing 100cc TKM karts competitively at club level. This continued for 4 years through the junior age group until the move was made to seniors in 1999, allowing more power and more skilled racing. 3 Years were spent in the senior ranks, racing at tracks across the UK, including race wins, until late 2002 when he took a sabbatical for a few years to concentrate on his Automotive Engineering Degree at Loughborough University.
In 2002, Jonny acquired a Ducati 748 which he used regularly on track, and it has seen action on a few of the country's major tracks including Donington, Croft and Silverstone. In his final year of university in 2006, Jonny returned to Karting once again, this time in the Rotax Max class. The 125cc liquid cooled 2 stroke engine produced a great deal more power than the 100cc air cooled units used in the TKM class, and coupled with softer tyres and a stiffer, more robust chassis, the result was much faster racing. Jonny really honed his skills and developed an ultra smooth style which allowed him to be very competitive, especially in the wet, despite a hefty weight disadvantage.
In 2010 Jonny made his first move to cars, racing a track prepared Lotus Exige in the UK Time Attack Championship. Giving away over 300bhp to some of the other cars in his class such as Porsches, TVR's and a wealth of highly Modified Japanese cars including Mitsubishi Evos, Nissan Skylines, Toyota Supras and Subaru Imprezas amongst others, he was able to stay competitive with the opposition; at Snetterton he was 40mph slower through the speed trap at the end of the straight, although his average lap speed was only 1mph slower! One journalist quoted the following:
'I've got to give a shout out to Jonathan MacGregor in the NA up to 3000cc class. It was an absolute pleasure to watch this guy pushing his car to the limit, amazing viewing.'
Later that year he took part in two rounds of the UK Westfield Championship at Rockingham. Having only completed one trackday at the circuit, and having never driven the car before, Jonny took the fastest lap of race one and 2nd place in both rounds. A definate head turner for the opposition who were all seasoned drivers in the championship!
His final race in 2010 was the Scottish Sportscar Championship at Croft, in which he ran the same Westfield Aerorace as he had at Rockingham, competing against a huge variety of cars ranging from GT cars through to V8 Caterhams and spaceframe specials. He won his class in both races by a huge margin, took the lap record for a Westfield Championship Specification car and was the first non-slick shod car home in both races.
2011 brought along an entirely new challenge - GT racing. The team in which Jonny is the Technical Director, MacG Racing, had been building a 7 litre Ultima GTR specifically for the Britcar British Endurance Championship. Jonny had never driven a car with the performance of the Ultima previously, and yet, at his first race at Round 1 at Silverstone, he took the second quickest lap of the race on the final lap with 3 hour old tyres, and no 5th gear! All after pushing the car down the pitlane having run out of fuel due to an air lock. The commentator was quoted as saying:
'...I don't think Jonny MacGregor was telling me the truth about the amount of experience had earlier - he is currently showing fantastic pace in his first ever GT race, and is lapping two seconds quicker than anyone else on the track...'
Jonny continued his campaign with the MacG Racing Ultima GTR in various GT Championships, including a number of 24hr events until 2014, when it became clear that a major step change was required to improve the reliability of the car. So in late 2014, Jonny redesigned the chassis and other aspects of the car to improve structural rigidity, driver safety, and general packaging of the various systems. The new design allowed for improved weight distribution, improved heat management, a far more aggressive aero kit to utilised and modifications to allow repairs to be made more easily. This redesign has allowed the Team to be on terms with the latest generation of GT3 machinery - something they previously struggled to do consistently.
He uses his engineering knowledge to develop the car and at each round the car's performance has improved, overcoming some significant challenges that have been discovered along the way. His management experience and strong interpersonal skills are a valuable asset at motorsport events, allowing him to develop the team and get the best out of them, even in the most difficult of circumstances.
