At the ‘Donington Decider’ this weekend GT3 and GT4 class titles hang in the balance on the fast, flowing 2.49-mile GP circuit, a venue with a history of crowning champions amid high drama.
A group of 16 GT3 cars and 10 GT4 cars will compete in a thrilling season-ending race, promising close wheel-to-wheel action.
Charles Dawson and Kiern Jewiss arrive with one hand on the trophy. Can they repeat their win at Donington in the #42 Mercedes, or will the finale produce a fifth different GT3 winner this year?
Four probable GT3 Pro-Am contenders and only one champion
After three wins, Dawson and Jewiss lead on 155.5 points, 28.5 ahead of Marvin Kirchhöfer/Morgan Tillbrook (#77 Optimum McLaren GT3 Evo) and Giacomo Petrobelli/Jonny Adam (#7 Blackthorn Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 Evo), who are tied on 127.
Kirchhöfer, the McLaren factory driver, narrowly missed out on victory at Brands Hatch, whilst Petrobelli recovered from losing an early race lead to a penalty before his Aston Martin works teammate crossed the line in fourth.
Adam is chasing his fifth British GT title after his record outright 20th GT3 win at Spa-Francorchamps, while Kirchhöfer seeks his first title with Tillbrook.
Behind this pairing is 2 Seas’ other Mercedes-AMG duo of Maximilian Götz, another factory-backed driver, and his teammate Kevin Tse, who sit on 119 points, eight behind the Optimum-Blackthorn fight in the #18.
Blackthorn fields additional Aston
Blackthorn is fielding a second Aston Martin (#22), marking the return of 2023 champion Darren Leung, who won the Silverstone 500 alongside his co-champion Dan Harper, where Blackthorn previously fielded its second car.
Leung returns to the grid with British GT debutant Nick Yelloly, who is an IMSA Acura driver and took victory at this year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans in the LMP2 category. While not eligible for points, they could still influence the race’s outcome.
Alongside the title fight, Barwell’s Lamborghini squad could play the role of spoiler again.
During the season opener, the #78 Barwell Motorsport Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO2 was a strong contender for the race win during a tense closing chase led by Squadre Corse factory driver Sandy Mitchell on Jewiss.
After finishing as runner-up, Mitchell and Alex Martin eye up their maiden win of the season at the last possible chance to claim it.
Even last year, they achieved a win at one of the two Donington rounds after starting from pole, so expect them to be favourites to watch in qualifying.
GT4 regular Mahiki Racing was due to make its GT3 debut with a McLaren for founder Steven Lake and 19-year-old Josh Miller, the youngest driver in the field. But a heavy crash in testing, which also involved Team Parker’s #12 Mercedes GT4, forced the team to withdraw its #68 GT3 Evo (below) ahead of practice.
Matt Topham, meanwhile, will make his fourth season appearance at Donington in place of Simon Orange (Orange Racing by JMH) with teammate Marcus Clutton because of a business commitment.
Topham last appeared at Spa-Francorchamps in the #3 Optimum McLaren and took the Silver-Am class victory at the Silverstone 500 in a Steller Motorsport Audi R8 LMS GT3 EVO2.
Mike Price returns with Callum Macleod in the #3 Optimum McLaren after Jon Kearney fulfilled a late-timed comeback at Brands Hatch.
Father-son duo Richard and Sam Neary are back in the #8 Team Abba Mercedes to conclude their season on a high note.
Porsche and Ferrari target maiden victories before Evo upgrades
Team Parker’s #66 Porsche 911 GT3.R continues its chase for a first win for the 992 and the final time before they implement an evolution upgrade for next year.
At Brands, Sven Müller’s race ended early after contact with Martin Plowman of the #9 Paddock Motorsport McLaren, who is teamed with Mark Smith.
Müller suffered suspension damage from the impact, resulting in him being unable to turn the car once he approached the right-hander, Hawthorn Bend. He seeks to bounce back following four sixth-placed finishes before the DNF with his teammate Nick Jones.
The #55 Spirit of Race Ferrari 296 GT3 missed Brands due to a clash with the ELMS 4 Hours of Spa. It also skipped the Donington opener because of the ELMS Barcelona opener, making this its first 2025 appearance at the East Midlands-based track.
Matt Griffin chases his 15th British GT win at the end of his comeback campaign with teammate Duncan Cameron and a maiden podium for the 296.
Like Porsche, Ferrari is set to issue an evolution upgrade focusing on the car’s performance in dirty air, as well as closer gear ratios, in pursuit of improved competitive form.
GT3 Silver-Am showdown between Beechdean and Bridger
The season-long GT3 Silver-Am duel comes to a close this weekend between the highly experienced Beechdean and the season-debutants Bridger Motorsport.
Whilst the sub-category delivered significantly lower numbers compared to last year, the rivalry between these two outfits has been a close spectacle throughout the 2025 season.
Last time out, Beechdean matched its season-best finish of fifth at Spa whilst Bridger incurred a penalty for a pit stop infringement.
Two-time overall GT3 champion Andrew Howard and his teammate, Tom Wood, are on 222 points and are 14 points clear of Bridger’s Jonny Ip.
Both crews have taken wins this year, but Beechdean’s experience makes them favourites unless misfortune strikes.
Century vs Optimum in GT4
In the Pro-Am and Silver classes, it is Century versus Optimum for both championship title honours, as Jack Brown can make history to win back-to-back championships in the category.
Last time out at Brands Hatch marked a turning point in the Pro-Am title narrative after Century’s #71 BMW M4 GT4 Evo drivers reclaimed the title lead since the Silverstone 500, which was seven races ago.
Ravi Ramyead and Charlie Robertson lead the championship by just 3.5 points over the #90 Optimum McLaren Artura GT4 pairing, Marc Warren and reigning champion Jack Brown, on 182.5 points.
If Century beats Optimum on track position, then they can claim their maiden GT4 title, whereas Optimum, however, can secure their fourth GT4 class title.
In the Silver Cup, the #17 Optimum’s Luca Hopkinson and Harry George are more comfortable about seeking championship honours.
Winning the previous race has increased their motivation to recover from the electrical reliability failure that put them out of the Donington opener, providing a second chance to finish unfinished business at the decider.
Endurance Cup champions return
Our inaugural GT4 Endurance Cup champions, Ed McDermott and reigning Pro-Am champion Seb Morris, have returned since finishing second overall in the category at Spa-Francorchamps, their best season result for Team Parker Racing.
Jolt Racing is the other Endurance Cup entrant for the decider after a difficult outing at Snetterton. However, perseverance brings them back with its #37 McLaren and drivers Rupert Williams and John Ingram.
James Townsend joins Joe Wheeler as a new Mahiki teammate in the #88 Ginetta G56 GT4 Evo, whilst #69 Ginetta duo Luke Garlick and Blake Angliss seek redemption from their dramatic fire, which cost them the race lead at Brands.
The #12 Team Parker Racing Mercedes-AMG joins the team’s #30 entry, with Jon Currie alongside Phil Keen, the second-most successful driver in British GT history.
MKH Racing also returns with its #31 Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4 Evo and teammates Michael Orant and Owen Hizzey ready to take on the finale.
With multiple titles on the line, a bolstered grid, and Donington’s reputation for late-season fireworks, 2025’s decider has all the ingredients to be a classic.
Images courtesy of SRO/JEP
