Optimum Motorsport crowned ‘Team of the Weekend’
With two pole positions, three wins, and three fastest laps, Optimum Motorsport (featured) was honoured as ‘Team of the Weekend’ after an impressive performance across both the GT3 and GT4 programmes.
Its #77 McLaren GT3 Evo pairing Ben Barnicoat and Morgan Tillbrook also became the first repeat winners of the 2026 British GT Championship season with their Race 2 success at Oulton Park and Snetterton.
In Snetterton’s Race 1, Optimum’s defending GT4 class champions converted Marc Warren’s first outright GT3 pole position into victory, as Jack Brown secured his fifth Snetterton win in five years.
The #90 McLaren drivers became the third GT3 Silver-Am pairing to achieve an outright victory in a British GT season, a feat that has never happened before.
GT4 drivers Josh Stanton and George Gamble could not turn their Race 1 pole position into victory, facing great compensation time for the #59 McLaren Artura finishing runner-up at Spa, but achieved a determined first win together in Race 2 after a dominant performance.
“Snetterton’s not been a kind one to our GT3 in recent years for us,” Optimum Motorsport team principal Sean Goff told DSC. “I think that’s put an extra bit of focus on how to execute this weekend a bit more, and the grip level is quite challenging here — and we’ve put a lot of effort into trying not to get lost with outright pace and go with a car which was staying strong throughout.
“That’s shown in both Marc Warren and Jack Brown’s pace in Race 1. Ben [Barnicoat] was there on used tyres versus Marcus Clutton (who started in P2 in front) on new.
“He managed to pull away and stick with Ross [Gunn], who was also on new tyres. So I think it’s been a real credit to the team to really try and dissect what the car needs to win around here. Two GT3 wins. Couldn’t really write it. It’s been a phenomenal day.”
Rodin Motorsport delivers breakthrough GT3 Silver-Am victory
Multi-title-winning single-seater outfit Rodin came away from Snetterton with its maiden GT3 Silver-Am pole position and victories, having stood on their first British GT podiums in both races.
Australians Josh Buchan and Cameron Campbell have showcased potential for Rodin in their debut season of sportscar racing but struggled to deliver matching results.
Buchan was amazed to take not only GT3 Silver-Am pole position but also qualifying P4 for Race 2, marking Rodin’s best BGT qualifying result with a second-row start.
“It feels good for the team,” said Campbell, who brought the car home in P5 in Race 2. “We didn’t expect anything coming into this weekend, particularly after testing.
“It’s a fabulous result. The car came together, and it was just trying to hold on towards the end. In the first race, I was just trying to stay with them to see who would make the biggest mistake, really.
“And I couldn’t even keep up with them, and they were battling out front, and that was theirs to do. [In the second race], the car felt a bit looser in the rear. I had new tyres; I had no complaints, had no excuses.”
Innovation Racing deal with first retirement
British GT debutants Innovation Racing and drivers Thomas Holland and Hadley Simpson have been thoroughly impressive this season, claiming a Silverstone 500 pole position and win and maintaining a championship lead.
Last weekend at Snetterton, the team took a straightforward win in Race 1, making use of its substantial gap to its nearest rival by double-stinting their tyres and sustaining that gap to the end — earning their second GT4 win since Silverstone.
However, the team’s first setback occured in Race 2, when Holland lost drive in his #74 Ginetta G56 GT4 Evo after just 15 minutes of green-flag running whilst running in seventh.
He told DSC the issue was unrelated to the other #42 Ginetta in the field, run by Toro Verde, which failed to reach the start grid and its pole position spot due to a fuel pump problem.
“It wasn’t clear, but we’re pretty confident that the engine unfortunately let go,” said team principal Simon Griffiths. “It’s something out of our control; we can’t control those elements. I can’t ask for any more out of my team and my drivers; they’ve both done a phenomenal job.”
The DNF was a tough reminder that back luck can strike at any time.
It now means that they trail the #21 MK Racing Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4 Evo of Jessica Hawkins and Will Orton by only 1.5 points in the GT4 championship fight, on a tally of 104.5.
“We all like the championship fight between everybody,” Griffiths added. “The rivalry is fantastic. We don’t want [engine] failures, but it is what it is, unfortunately. Sometimes that’s what happens; that’s motorsport.”
He explained the team’s immediate priority was to return to the workshop, strip the engine and install a new engine ready for testing at Donington Park today (Tuesday 18 August), which hosts the next round of the 2026 British GT championship on 5-6 September.
Grange Racing by FSR scores fourth consecutive GT4 Pro-Am win
Another team new to British GT was in the spotlight again last weekend: Grange Racing by FSR, which contined to shine in GT4 Pro-Am, taking a fourth win in as many races.
With a five-place grid penalty and compensation time for Race 1, the odds stood against their hopes for a hat trick of outright GT4 wins.
But progress continued with its #27 Aston Martin in the hands of Dan Lavery and Aston Martin/Prodrive factory driver Darren Turner, who was involved as an official reserve and shakedown driver in JCB’s recent hydrogen land-speed record at the Bonneville Salt Flats.
Four-time British GT champion Jonny Adam in the #97 GBR Stratton Aston Martin demonstrated why he’s BGT’s most successful driver after leading a fight against his nearest rivals, Turner and four-time BTCC champion Colin Turkington in the #61 West Surrey Racing BMW M4 GT4 Evo.
Lavery challenged Ian Duggan (#8 Toro Verde Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS CS) for second place outright but first in GT4 Pro-Am during Race 2.
Taking the GT4 Pro-Am lead with nine minutes remaining, Lavery succeeded in his battle against Duggan, bringing the #27 Aston Martin across the line just 0.884 seconds ahead.
“We were in a bit of trouble going in because we started P7 and the guys around us had not much success compensation,” said Lavery. “So we knew we were going to come out [after the pitstop] and had to work our way forward really.
“But we got a bit lucky when the #42 Ginetta didn’t get out from pole position, so it looks like it’s gone our way this weekend. The car was good; we’ve improved this week for sure. I think the Porsche had great pace, just got a bit unlucky with the GT3 traffic and on one of the corners just got screwed a bit.
“When I had the chance to tuck in, that was the end of that really. But he drove really well, had a lot of pace. Every day’s a school day, so all I’m doing is just concentrating on me, not worrying about other people.
“Ultimately, all problems are solved with pace, aren’t they, so if I can focus on that then the rest will come with that.”
Championship standings update
During the second race, a mistake by Beechdean’s #7 Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 Evo driver, Andrew Howard, gave the #77 Optimum McLaren drivers a clear-cut opportunity for victory, allowing them to maintain their lead in the overall GT3 championship.
Barnicoat/Tillbrook sit on 105.5 points, 13.5 ahead of the #78 Barwell Motorsport Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO2 of Jarrod Waberski/Alex Martin (above), the car enduring a difficult weekend held back after Martin’s qualifying crash.
The steering rack replacement did not resolve all woes at the wheel of the #78 Lamborghini, but salvaged points finishes on race day in P5 and P9.
The #67 Orange Racing by JMH McLaren (Simon Orange/Marcus Clutton) is third on 89 points but leads the GT3 Pro-Am classification on 127 points.
Tillbrook/Barnicoat are 2.5 points behind in the Pro-Am fight, followed by a further 25-point margin to Howard/Gunn.
Waberski/Martin keep the GT3 Silver-Am title lead on 137.5 points, 15 points ahead of Century Motorsport’s #44 BMW M4 GT3 EVO crew of Charles Clark and Jonathon Beeson (122.5) and Warren/Brown on 110 points.
Looking at the SRO GT Academy standings, Clark outscored Waberski in both Snetterton races, his third since Oulton Park Race 1. Waberski leads on 179 points, but Clark has closed the gap from 16 points down to six behind the South African driver.
Despite Optimum’s spotlight this race meeting, Barwell Motorsport leads the GT3 Teams’ standings. The GT4 overall title battle is close-fought, as is the Silver and Pro-Am Cups.
MK Racing’s Hawkins/Orton lead Silver on 125 points, 7.5 ahead of Century Motorsport’s #24 BMW teammates Branden Templeton/Jack Collins.
Lavery/Turner capitalised on the #42 Toro Verde Ginetta’s (Jack Mitchell/Luke Shaw) Race 2 woes in GT4 Pro-Am. Grange Racing by FSR’s drivers lead on 127.5 points, exactly 20 ahead of the #42 Ginetta duo.
Images courtesy of JEP/SRO
