A huge turnout!
Tuesday’s Media Day combined the Ginetta Junior Championship, Protyre Motorsport Ginetta GT Championship, and Ginetta GT Academy action with the SRO-run British GT championship.
Some 3000 fans were in attendance. Free tickets offered by SRO for the day were rapidly snapped up, half term holidays saw plenty of youngsters amongst the attendees with a lunchtime pit-lane walkabout strongly attended.
Having joined the SRO package, the Junior championship has become the first step for drivers aspiring to the SRO GT Academy.
The GT Academy is a young driver programme for aspiring talents looking to graduate in the world of GT racing, with a prize fund that includes being part of a unique line-up in the 2027 Spa 24 Hours with a car set to be crewed by the Academy winners from the British GT package, and GT World Challenge in Asia, America and Australia!
Additionally, the GT Championship’s Ginetta G56 GTP8s will compete in the same races as the GT Academy’s G56 GTA cars. A GTP8 was on track and part of the media day video and photographic displays with Lawrence Tomlinson on hand as driver.
Kelly Robertson, wife of former Ginetta LMP1 and factory driver Charlie Robertson, was present in the paddock in her role as Ginetta UK Championships Manager, now contracted to SRO rather than working directly for Ginetta.
And with the 34th season underway for the main British GT Championship, the paddock revived the hype and excitement across the GT3 and GT4 formulas.
Spotted in the paddock
Former Le Mans 24 Hours winner David Brabham, manager of Jessica Hawkins — driver of the #21 MKH Racing Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4 Evo.
Guy Smith, 2003 Le Mans 24 Hours winner, manages Ben Barnicoat, who races in the #77 Optimum Motorsport McLaren 720S GT3 Evo.
David Addison, commentator for GT World Challenge, along with co-commentator and former racer Joe Osborne.
Martin Haven, lead commentator for the FIA World Endurance Championship.
Paul Truswell, another commentary legend who will be busy again throughout 2026 at Silverstone.
Greystone GT was also present, track testing for its 2026 GT Open campaign, a car not committed to the full season of British GT.
Mitchell fills in testing duties for Collard at Barwell
Reigning vice-champion Hugo Cook joined Squadra Corse factory driver Sandy Mitchell at Silverstone in place of full-season driver and 2024 Drivers’ champion Rob Collard, who is on his honeymoon.
Barwell Motorsport’s trio of Huracáns aims to give the naturally aspirated V10 racer a fitting final hurrah in its final British GT season, so Mitchell was on hand to support the team’s testing activities during media day.
Ferrari-contracted GT driver Matt Griffin and his teammate Duncan Cameron were busy adapting to the new machinery, having never raced a Lamborghini before, which led Mitchell to offer his insight into a highly familiar machine to the 26-year-old.
“Jared [Waberski], Matt and Duncan are relatively inexperienced with the Lambo, obviously having driven different cars before,” he told DSC.
“I think (Matt) he’s enjoying driving the car, so is Duncan. It’s hard not to enjoy a screamin’ V10 behind you.
“Obviously, it’s very different from the cars that he’s been driving for quite a while now.
“He’s taking his time in adapting to the car, but he’s taken to it pretty quickly, and he’s asking me lots of questions, which I think is a really good sign because it means he’s thinking about the car and wanting to know as much as possible.”
Barwell’s day went smoothly, despite a brief brake disc issue during the early afternoon session for the #78 car, which the team promptly addressed after recovering the car on a flatbed.
Turkington gets up to speed with the BMW M4 GT4 Evo
One of the key storylines this year is the debut of 18-time touring car champion West Surrey Racing and four-time BTCC champion Colin Turkington, taking their first steps into GT racing.
Competing in the #61 BMW M4 GT4 Evo, adorned in M Performance colours, Turkington is teamed with Ernie Graham, a driver with 30 years of experience in rallying and a newcomer to circuit racing this past year.
Not only that, the 2026 British GT championship is his first full-season campaign of racing since he departed the BTCC at the end of 2024, continuing his partnership with WSR.
“Yeah, the car feels obviously different but vaguely familiar,” said Turkington in a press conference.
“I know the brand obviously very well, having done 20 years in British Touring cars.
“A large part of that is with the rear-wheel drive BMW, but my instinct was that the car, the M4 GT4, feels sort of bigger and heavier, but sort of does similar things.
“And, my partnership with Ernie Graham, we developed a relationship last year through historic racing.
“We did some races together — Silverstone Classic, Donington Historic — in an E30 BMW and coincidentally, he’s from Northern Ireland as well, and the stars aligned.
“We haven’t set our expectations too high. You know, it’s two new drivers on a new team in the series, so we’re quite aware we have lots to learn.
“We’ve done limited testing, so we’re very much feeling at the deep end. But Ernie’s massively excited and motivated for it. So, you know, I’ll join him on that ride.”
Reigning GT4 champion Warren on stepping up to GT3
Jack Brown and Marc Warren won the GT4 championship title last year in Optimum Motorsport’s McLaren Artura GT4 car.
As a result, the duo have stepped up into the GT3 field – and one of the fiercest in the European GT racing environment.
Warren recalled his sensational first impressions of the team’s #90 GT3 Evo, one of the team’s trio of McLarens, joining Barwell as the only other GT3 team with three entries.
“The car is alive in a way that every car that I’ve raced previously isn’t,” Warren, alluding to his experience in Ginetta GT racing.
“It’s another level in terms of performance, but it’s just the directness.
“It just feels like every bit of rubber and slack has been taken out of the car, and you’re connected to it in ways that even the GT4 car doesn’t get close to.
“So I’ve sort of gone from feeling pretty comfortable with the GT4 car last year, and now I’m in this, and my brain is up to 100% capacity, dealing with all the inputs and everything with the car.”
The #90 McLaren is one of seven GT3 Silver-Am entries, indicating a highly competitive spectacle as Brown aims for his fourth consecutive championship title, including his 2023 GT4 Silver success.
AMR’s Adam and his family’s connections to GBR Stratton
One of this year’s British GT debutants includes GBR Stratton Motorsport, competing as one of six Aston Martin GT4 customer teams with its drivers, young Scot Ronan Pearson and the more experienced John Hartshorne.
Four-time British GT champion Jonny Adam is not taking part this year, with commitments to the FIA World Endurance Championship, GT World Challenge Europe, and two rounds in GT Open — yet the GBR Stratton effort resonates closely with the Aston Martin factory driver.
“This is my father-in-law and brother-in-law’s collaboration with GBR and Stratton Motorsports,” Adam explained to DSC.
“They’ve always wanted to do GT4 as Graham Brunson Racing. They’ve done GB4 for the last three or four years, but never stepped up into GT racing.
“I know John Hartshorne very well. I’ve raced with him for two and a half to three years.
“He’s not raced for a couple of years, but he’s back now doing GT4, and then Ronan Pearson is a young Scottish driver that we know as a family, who’s done touring cars for the last couple of years — so driver-wise I think we’ve got the best two.
“I’ll do maybe three or four race weekends with these guys, but everyone’s excited about how this can hopefully open doors into GT4 racing for another car, maybe further down the line this year or into next year.”
Pearson, who has spent the past three seasons in the BTCC, concurred with anticipation for his effort into GT racing, describing Adam’s feedback as “absolutely invaluable.”
Supercars on display
A selection of high-performance and luxury supercars was on display for the public outside Silverstone’s race control tower.
The allure of a classic Aston Martin DB5 showcased one of the manufacturer’s most iconic cars, finished in its classic Silver Birch paint job.
Other exotics included Ferraris, Porsches, and more Aston Martins, as well as a Lamborghini Huracán Sterrato and a Bentley Flying Spur.
