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Tse on starting from pole with compensation time
2 Seas Motorsport’s #18 Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO of Kevin Tse and 2021 DTM champion Maximilian Götz carries a 20-second pit stop compensation penalty after their victory last time out at Snetterton. Despite that handicap, the pair delivered in qualifying with a masterful performance, securing pole position for Round 8 of the 2025 British GT Championship.
“Our focus, and the team’s aim, is always to do the best we can,” Tse told DSC. “Brands Hatch is a very hard place to overtake, so we were really focusing on qualifying.”
That effort paid off as Tse and Götz combined their laps to beat Blackthorn’s #7 Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Evo by 0.216 seconds. Tse will take the race start with Giacomo Petrobelli’s #7 Aston Martin alongside on the front row. Just one point separates the two cars, sitting second and third in the championship standings.
Pole also granted Tse his wish of starting on the inside line into Paddock Hill Bend and Druids, both right-handers that offer a crucial opening advantage.
“If you’re in front of another car, maybe you can pull out a gap, but it’s so difficult to pass,” he added. “With the Bronzes, if someone makes a mistake, you can get by, but with the pros, it’s almost always one-by-one. Turn one is pretty fast, and then at turn two everyone just bunches up again.”
Returning to where it began with Wood and Beechdean
Elsewhere in the GT3 paddock, Tom Wood returned to where his top-class journey began, Brands Hatch, after making his GT3 debut here with Beechdean Motorsport last season.
Qualifying underlined his form as he set the fastest time in his session with a 1:22.687, outpacing a field that included several factory-level drivers. He also holds the Brands GP race lap record of 1:24.031, set in 202
“We’ve just got to put the processes together and win the class, and hopefully win the [GT3 Silver-Am] championship at the end of the year,” Wood told DSC. “We had a tough round at Snetterton, which put us on the back foot, and of course, the Honda was very strong there.
“But this time it seems a lot better. We had a good result here last year, and we’ve got a good base with the car.“I hope everything is a little more even this time, and I hope we have some close racing.”
In Silver-Am, the #86 Bridger Motorsport Honda NSX GT3 Evo22 holds the upper hand after two straight wins, with Wood and Howard leading Jonny Ip by just 3.5 points in the standings. Snetterton’s straights suited the Honda’s power, but the Brands’ tighter layout may swing the balance. Wood’s effort means the #97 Beechdean Aston Martin will start seventh overall, while the #86 Honda lines up 13th.
Garlick excited for mid-season comeback in Mahiki Ginetta
Over in the GT4 ranks, Luke Garlick has made a welcome mid-season return after what he called an “unwanted holiday”.
He first debuted in British GT with Bridger Motorsport, securing third overall in Race 2 at Oulton Park. He has now joined Mahiki Racing in the new Ginetta G56 GT4 Evo at Brands Hatch.
“It’s good to be back, and good to be back at my home track,” Garlick said. “Brands is definitely one of the most physical circuits because of the elevation changes and all the bumps. They’ve even repainted some of the kerbs, so they feel a bit different this year. You know it’s going to be a difficult but hard-earned result at the end of the week.”
Garlick, the 2023 Ginetta GT5 Pro champion and 2024 GT4 SuperCup contender, admitted the step back into GT4 has been more of a shift than expected.
“More different than you’d think,” he said. “The jump from SuperCup to GT4, on paper, doesn’t look like a lot, but when you’ve got the feeling in the car, it is a lot. You’ve got a bit more aero, and the characteristics are quite different.
“It’s a big jump from GT3 to GT4, too, from being one of the quickest in a straight line to one of the slowest. It’s taken a lot of adjustment. In a GT4, you feel more on edge all the time, and it’s actually a lot more physical to drive than a GT3.”
Looking ahead, Garlick is clear on his and teammate Blake Angliss’s intentions. “I want to say make a statement, we’re here to stay. Both Blake and I haven’t committed to the full season in a car. It’s my first time working with him, and we get on well. If we can get out of the weekend with a good result, we’ll be happy as drivers, and the team will be even happier.”
Kearney relishes late return with Optimum Motorsport
Also making a late-season appearance is Jon Kearney, who debuted at the Silverstone 500 with Century Motorsport and now returns in Optimum Motorsport’s #3 McLaren 720S GT3 Evo alongside Callum Macleod.
“I had a bit more prep time then than I do now,” Kearney admitted. “I only made the decision on Tuesday to jump in. Sometimes when there’s no thought or process before a race weekend, it can actually be quite beneficial because you don’t overthink it.”
Silverstone was a carefully chosen debut venue: “It’s a bit more forgiving with more run-off. But what driver doesn’t love driving Brands? Now I’m just in a faster, more aero car. Still smiling in there, which is good.”
On race starting duties, he reflected on the lessons from Silverstone. “My first race start, as you can imagine, I just took too much of it in. This time, I’ll be a bit more focused.”
While Kearney and Macleod will line up at the back of the GT3 field, that vantage point may prove useful in avoiding opening-lap drama on one of the calendar’s trickiest circuits.
Century’s championship odds if Optimum wins in GT4
Twenty-three points separate the GT4 championship leaders, #90 Optimum McLaren Artura GT4 drivers Marc Warren/Jack Brown, and the #71 Century Motorsport BMW M4 GT4 Evo pairing Ravi Ramyead/Charlie Robertson.
If the #90 drivers — who lead on 162.5 points — win Brands Hatch in the GT4 class, the #71 duo must finish in second position to stay within championship contention for the Donington Park decider. Ramyead starts this Brands Hatch race in third place, sharing the second row with their #90 McLaren championship rival Marc Warren in fourth position.
Like Oulton Park, Brands Hatch GP is a fast, tight circuit with undulation to challenge the drivers, so the pressure is on both to not only beat one another but run a smooth race without incurring track limits penalties.
If the #90 McLaren Optimum fails to score/retires, then the #71 BMW Century can take the championship lead before the decider with a win and the full 37.5-point haul, so the odds are still close in the GT4 title fight narrative.
If the #71 BMW does not finish in second when the #90 McLaren wins, then Brown will become British GT’s first back-to-back GT4 champion, and Warren will secure his first title.
Clutton quickest in morning warm-up
Marcus Clutton was the quickest driver in the race day 15-minute warm-up for the #67 Orange Racing by JMH McLaren 720S GT3 Evo (1:23.348).
Porsche factory driver Sven Müller took second place for Team Parker Racing and their #66 Porsche 911 GT3.R with a fastest time of 1:23.420, ahead of Tom Wood’s #97 Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 Evo, which did a 1:24.123.
Marvin Kirchhöfer took fourth position in the #77 Optimum Motorsport McLaren, followed by the championship-leading #42 2 Seas Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo of Kiern Jewiss in fifth.
In the GT4 class, Jack Brown went fastest in the #90 Optimum McLaren Artura with a 1:31.633. Optimum’s other #17 McLaren of Luca Hopkinson took second place as Josh Miller took third in the #84 Mahiki Racing Ginetta G56 GT4 Evo.
Charlie Robertson finished fourth at the wheel of the #71 Century BMW M4 GT4 EVO and Luke Garlick rounded out the top five in the #69 Mahiki Ginetta.
While warm-up times don’t always translate directly to race pace, Clutton and Brown’s speed suggested both Optimum-run McLarens are well dialled in for the afternoon’s contest.
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