The 34th season of the SRO-promoted British GT Championship gets underway this weekend at Silverstone Circuit, with the championship’s blue riband Silverstone 500 returning to the Grand Prix layout as the season-opener for the first time in 25 years.
A 29-car grid comprising 18 GT3 and 11 GT4 entries will tackle the 5.891km circuit across three hours on Sunday, competing for overall honours to hold the prestigious RAC Trophy on the top step of the podium.
Among the prominent storylines is the return of reigning overall and GT3 Pro-Am champions Charles Dawson and Kiern Jewiss.
Now competing in GT World Challenge Europe, the duo reappear sporting the #1 on their 2 Seas Motorsport Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo, looking to go one better than last year when they narrowly missed out on Silverstone 500 victory.
As Dawson is a Bronze Plus driver, the #1 carries a 25kg success ballast, similar to last year, but for a different reason.
Standing in their way could be 2023 champions Dan Harper and Darren Leung, who beat the 2025 champions.
The BMW pair return in Paradine Competition’s #91 M4 GT3 Evo, aiming for a third Silverstone 500 win, which would mark a first in the event’s history. Paradine also fields a second BMW, the #6 entry for 2022 champion Ian Loggie and series stalwart Phil Keen.
Optimum Motorsport have Australians Yasser Shahin and Garnet Patterson stepping in for the unavailable Mike Price and Callum Macleod in its #3 McLaren 720S GT3 Evo.
Another debut comes from ‘down under’ via Rodin Motorsport, where TCR Australia sensation Josh Buchan and Cameron Campbell are in the #13 Ferrari 296 GT3 Evo, featuring the new-for-2026 Evo specification.
At Barwell Motorsport, meanwhile, Duncan Cameron and Ferrari-contracted driver Matt Griffin switch to Lamborghini machinery for the first time in the #55 Huracán GT3 EVO2.
They are joined within the team by last year’s vice-champion Hugo Cook and two-time champion Rob Collard in the #63, and by Alex Martin and SRO GT Academy nominee Jarrod Waberski in the #78 Silver-Am entry.
Barwell will be keen to rebound from a troubled 2025 Silverstone 500 as it chases a third win in the event with their last hurrah for the Huracán before their switch to the Temerario, joining 2 Seas, Paradine and Optimum with multiple GT3 cars.
Waberski is one of four drivers fighting for the SRO GT Academy prize, a seat at the 2027 Spa 24 Hours. The other drivers include 2 Seas’ Aaron Walker, returning in the #15 Mercedes-AMG alongside Andrew Gilbert, Century Motorsport’s Charles Clark, who is one of the former GT4 Silverstone 500 winners in this field, and shares the #44 BMW with Jonathan Beeson, and finally, Mahiki Racing’s Josh Rowledge, who is partnered with Steven Lake in the #69 McLaren.
Mahiki also fields the #71 McLaren for Luke Garlick and GT4 Endurance Cup champion Ed McDermott, while Optimum’s expanded effort includes the #90 entry for reigning GT4 champions Marc Warren and Jack Brown, now stepping up to GT3.
Optimum also runs the #77 McLaren for Morgan Tillbrook and former Woking factory driver Ben Barnicoat, whilst Paddock Motorsport continue with their #9 McLaren for Martin Plowman and Mark Smith, who target their first podium together this season — which will be even more momentous if achieved at the 500.
Further McLaren representation comes from Orange Racing by JMH, where Simon Orange and Marcus Clutton return in the #67 car, looking to better last year’s top-five result in this event. In total, McLaren is the best-represented manufacturer in the GT3 field with seven cars.
Aston Martin’s presence is more limited but still notable, with Beechdean Motorsport fielding the sole Vantage AMR GT3 Evo for Andrew Howard and factory driver Ross Gunn.
Gunn returns to British GT competition at a circuit where he previously enjoyed success en route to his 2015 GT4 title, whilst Andrew’s only win at Silverstone came in 2011, at the wheel of a DBRS9 and the final year before the switch to a three-hour format.
In GT4, Aston Martin is far more prominent, with four Vantage AMR GT4 Evos competing at the marque’s home circuit.
MK Racing’s #21 entry pairs Will Orton with Aston Martin Formula 1 ambassador Jessica Hawkins, while Grange Racing by FSR brings back long-time factory driver Darren Turner alongside Daniel Lavery in the #27 car.
Fox Motorsport makes its British GT comeback with James Townsend and Joe Wheeler in the #40 entry, and GBR Stratton Motorsport fields John Hartshorne and BTCC race winner Ronan Pearson in the #97, joining Orton as Aston Martin Racing Driver Academy candidates.
BMW representation includes last year’s GT4 class team winners, Century Motorsport, with their striking ‘Chomp’ livery on the #24 M4 GT4 Evo car for Brandon Templeton and Jack Collins.
As well as the #61 entry from West Surrey Racing, the team will debut in GT racing with four-time BTCC champion Colin Turkington and teammate Ernie Graham, to whom the 500 will mark his most significant race so far in his two years of circuit racing experience.
McLaren GT4 entries come from Mahiki Racing, where Blake Angliss is joined by debutant and son of Steven Lake, Revie Lake, in the #84 Artura GT4, and from Optimum Motorsport’s #59 car for reigning GT4 Silver champion Luca Hopkinson and debutant Josh Stanton.
Toro Verde GT fields two cars from different manufacturers, with Ian Duggan and Tom Bradshaw in the #8 Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS CS, and Luke Shaw and Jack Mitchell in the #42 Ginetta. The grid is completed by Innovation Racing’s debuting #74 Ginetta of Thomas Holland and Hadley Simpson.
With a deep GT3 field featuring multiple former champions, high-profile returns and several debuting combinations, and a competitive GT4 grid led by strong manufacturer representation, this year’s Silverstone 500 looks set to deliver a closely fought season opener.
Free practice kicks off on Saturday at 09:30 BST, followed by pre-qualifying at 12:15 and qualifying at 15:45, before Sunday’s morning warm-up at 09:40 is followed by the three-hour race that gets underway at 13:00.
