Barwell Motorsport will expand its operations next season with the creation of a new GT3 Heritage division, entering both the GT3 Legends and newly established GT3 Revival Series in 2026.
The move coincides with the 20th anniversary of the GT3 formula and will see the Surrey-based squad return to its roots in GT racing, having first competed in the category at the inaugural FIA GT3 event at Silverstone in 2006.
Barwell is one of only three teams from that original grid still active in contemporary GT3 competition. Over the past two decades the outfit has taken multiple national and international titles and more than 50 race victories, most recently in partnership with Lamborghini Squadra Corse.
Next year, Barwell plans to field multiple entries across the two new series. The GT3 Legends championship, run by Motor Racing Legends, will continue its growth following a successful 2025 season, while the Peter Auto/SRO-led GT3 Revival Series will debut with a five-round schedule, including appearances at the Le Mans Classic and Spa-Classic.
Among the cars Barwell intends to run are its British GT title-winning BMW Z4 GT3, along with the Lamborghini Gallardo LP600+ and Audi R8 LMS. The team is also open to supporting owner-drivers with eligible machinery, having previously campaigned Aston Martin’s DBRS9 and Vantage V12 during GT3’s formative years.
The new heritage categories are aimed primarily at Bronze-graded amateur drivers, though Pro-Am combinations will also be eligible. Event formats will typically feature two 50-minute races with extended practice time, and significantly lower costs than modern GT3 competition.
Alongside its on-track expansion, Barwell is also launching a range of new workshop services for early GT3 cars, including restoration programmes, engineering, and race preparation.
Team principal Mark Lemmer says the initiative is about celebrating GT3’s history while broadening the team’s activities:
“We are hugely excited at the prospect of going back to our GT racing roots with campaigns in two fantastic new series. While Barwell Motorsport’s history goes back to the 1950s, the modern team as we know it was crafted in GT3 racing. While it’s incredible to see how the formula has grown over the last 20 years, it’s also important to know where it all started and both the GT3 Legends and GT3 Revival Series will be excellent showcases of that.
“Alongside the new GT3 Heritage racing programme we are also proud to expand our workshop activities for owners of classic GT3 cars. We have a first-class technical team that has grown up racing and winning with these cars, so it makes sense to expand on that and offer our extensive know-how to customers. These are exciting times for both modern and classic GT3 racing, and Barwell Motorsport will continue to be at the heart of the action.”
Barwell’s contemporary GT3 programme with Lamborghini will continue in parallel with the new Heritage projects in 2026.
DBRS9 image courtesy of Barwell
