West Surrey Racing has announced its GT racing debut in the 2026 British GT championship, headlined by the addition of four-time BTCC champion Colin Turkington to its line-up.
The 18-time BTCC championship-winning team will field a new BMW M4 GT4 Evo in the Pro-Am category, pairing Turkington with triple FIA European Historic Rally champion, circuit racing newcomer and fellow Northern Irishman Ernie Graham.
Turkington’s 72 BTCC race victories put him second on the series’ all-time winners list, and now he is seeking success in one of GT racing’s strongest offerings.
It has been two years since the 43-year-old competed in a full-time capacity back in the BTCC. He is now fully committed to GT racing after his one-off GT Cup appearance last year.
Graham is relatively new to circuit racing, as his 30-year career behind the wheel has seen him mainly compete off-road. His CV included three FIA European Historic Rally Championship titles in 2005, ‘22 and ‘23.
He spent most of 2025 at the wheel of a BMW 3 Series in the BMW Car Club Racing Championship, taking nine podium appearances en route to second in the Cup class standings.
Turkington said: “I’m delighted to be back in racing full-time in 2026.
“It’s been an ambition of mine for a little while to dive seriously into GT racing, so to be able to do it in the British GT Championship, with all its history and the big names and major brands that are here, is really exciting.
“To do it with WSR FlexiFly – a team that really has been a second family to me over the past 20-plus years – is the icing on the cake.
“I’ve been driving with Ernie since last summer, and while he’s relatively new to circuit racing, he has so much experience from the rally stages, and you need great skill and bravery to do well there.
“I’m sure we have all the ingredients necessary to perform well.”
Graham added, “I’m so excited to be moving into the British GT Championship with WSR FlexiFly.
“I’d wanted to race a BMW from my first visit to the RAC Tourist Trophy at Silverstone in 1988.
“I’ve now raced and rallied them, and this year we get to take things to the next level.
“Pairing up with Colin for a couple of historic races last year really helped lift my performance, and after he introduced me to the team at WSR, and I saw everything they’d achieved with Ayrton Senna, Mika Hakkinen, Nigel Mansell and so many other drivers, my mind was made up that I wanted to come to British GT and have a real go.
“It might sound strange to leave a world I know and have been successful in, to take a leap into the unknown, but I’ve always loved new challenges, so I feel ready for it and think we can represent ourselves well.”
Carl Mitchell, WSR Sporting and Operations Director, added: “From the moment we announced our intention to enter GT racing, we always targeted competing in the British GT Championship as the first major step on this journey, so it’s fantastic to be able to announce WSR FlexiFly’s full-season entry today.
“In Ernie and Colin, we have two drivers from very different ends of the motorsport spectrum, but what combines them is their ability to deliver championship success and their determination to develop and improve, which is something we constantly strive for as a team as well.
“It’s going to be a big learning year for us, but we’re ready to expand operations, which includes welcoming back some team members with previous GT racing experience, and who will blend well with our existing championship-winning BTCC staff, who will also support this entry.
“We’re very excited about what’s to come.”
WSR’s British GT debut commences at the Silverstone 500, a three-hour-long endurance event and season-opener on 25-26 April.
Image courtesy of WSR
