Switching from motorsport’s most historic touring car championship to one of Europe’s most competitive GT racing series was never the initial plan for Ronan Pearson. But with one race victory from three years in tin-top machinery, the young Scot has decided to press the reset button and try his hand in the British GT Championship’s GT4 class in 2026.
The 24-year-old joined a new team, GBR Stratton, which is a partnership between Graham Brunton Racing, an outfit based at Knockhill Circuit, and Stratton Motorsport.
Pearson is also one of 22 candidates in the Aston Martin Racing Driver Academy this year, competing to become the ninth winner of the initiative.
All the while, he has the chance to explore a new type of racing and rekindle his motivation to win alongside his new teammate, John Hartshorne, who made his British GT debut back in 2002 (before Pearson’s first birthday!).
“It’s been a mega so far,” Pearson told DSC. “It’s been a big build-up, but a really nice start… We’ve planned a big testing programme before we arrive at Round 1.
“But already, from the outset, it’s a good feeling. Rear-wheel drive sports car racing is different for me, and I’m looking forward to cutting my teeth.”
The Media Day at Silverstone on March 31 marked Pearson’s first time driving the team’s #97 Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4 Evo.
During the day, he, Hartshorne and the team made the most of three hours and 40 minutes of valuable testing time. They were assisted by four-time British GT champion Jonny Adam, whose in-laws established and manage the team operations.
“The team has got great experience, great personnel here. We’re working with Jonny Adam, who’s a factory Aston Martin driver himself. So we’re getting off to a good start and obviously just learning every time that I go out,” he said.
“But to be fair, some of the driving styles and similarities with the touring cars that I’ve raced are actually a little bit similar as well. So it’s not been too bad a change.”
The front-engine, rear-drive Aston Martin features an AMG-derived 4.0-litre V8, offering more power and weight compared to the BTCC car, designed for sprint racing rather than endurance.
With four Aston Martin GT4 entries on the grid full-time, Pearson expects his quick learning process to come into play before British GT’s blue riband event, the Silverstone 500, approaches on 25-26 April.
The championship combines GT3 and GT4 machinery to produce a multi-class spectacle. Pearson/Hartshorne are part of an 11-strong full-time GT4 field, and will have to keep an eye fixed on the mirrors at all times to avoid getting tangled up with the faster GT3 cars in the field.
“It’s not bad, actually,” he downplayed the new challenge. “I was pleasantly surprised. It actually depends more on your closing speeds, and things can be quite difficult.
“But everyone’s been respectful anyway so far, and I’m used to the busy tracks and circuits anyway, so it’s not going to be too bad.”
One exciting new element for Pearson has been the opportunity to race on Silverstone’s full Grand Prix Circuit. Having spent years competing in the BTCC, Mini Challenge, and beyond, he is accustomed to the smaller, albeit still thrilling, National configuration.
“Going through Maggots and Becketts for the first time on this full GP configuration is absolutely incredible,” he added. “What you watch on TV is exactly how it feels.
“A lot of prestige to be around here [at Silverstone] and then Aston Martin at the home of British motorsport.”
The two-hour Spa-Francorchamps race meeting in Belgium on 21-22 June was previously a three-hour enduro like the Silverstone 500.
Spa marks the fourth round of the 2026 season and is particularly significant for Pearson as it marks his debut at one of motorsport’s most iconic and historic venues.
“It’s gonna be a bucket list weekend for me in June, going to Spa for the very first time. For me, it’s going to be absolutely incredible,” he says.
“You watch it on TV, but to actually go there and go up Eau Rouge for the first time will just be a sensational feeling!”
Switching championships, teams and machinery all at once often demands a significant adjustment, but Pearson has taken to the shift in direction positively so far.
The 2026 British GT campaign has two sprint meetings and four endurance race meetings, and besides Spa, the circuits are highly familiar to Pearson.
Due to the competitive nature of British GT racing, immediate success is far from guaranteed, but the move could yet prove a natural long-term fit for Pearson as the GBR Stratton programme could offer a solid platform for development.
British GT requires a different approach for each race in addition to refuelling, tyre changes and driver swaps during the pit stops, particularly in the hour-long sprint rounds, where two races are run on the same day.
However, Pearson’s door-to-door BTCC racing experience may prove to be a valuable skill when he faces pressure behind the wheel this season.
“I’m really at home with the guys here at GBR Stratton, and I know a lot of them from previous things. I feel like I’m in good hands,” he concluded. “It’s just nice to come into a paddock again and be really, really excited to have a spring in your step and relish that new start.”
Images courtesy of SRO/JEP
