With a week to go before the British GT 2026 season kicks off at Silverstone, we take a look at how the grid is shaping up.
The provisional full-season entry list for the British GT Championship currently stands at 26 cars, with 15 competing in the GT3 class for overall honours. This strong representation underlines GT3’s continued appeal to both amateur drivers and emerging professionals. Meanwhile, the GT4 category shows signs of recovery, trending upwards after a comparatively modest season by the championship’s usual standards.
Only three entries remained unconfirmed prior to the recent media day at Silverstone. GT4 Endurance Cup champion and GT3 debutant Ed McDermott will share Mahiki’s second McLaren 720S with Luke Garlick. Toro Verde’s Porsche line-up features Ian Duggan alongside Tom Bradshaw, while the team’s Ginetta G56 will be driven by reigning Ginetta GT Championship Am title-holder Luke Shaw and 2018 GT4 champion Jack Mitchell. Additional entries may yet be confirmed ahead of the Silverstone 500, which already includes two guest cars from Paradine Competition, with further additions anticipated.
Notably, the GT3 Silver-Am class boasts a healthy seven full-season pairings. In parallel, six emerging talents—Charles Clark, Hugo Cook, Luke Garlick, Josh Rowledge, Jarrod Waberski and Aaron Walker—are eligible for the SRO GT Academy prize, which offers a funded drive at the 2027 CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa. Open to FIA Silver-graded drivers under 30, the initiative aims to identify promising talent beyond the limitations of race results alone.
Reigning champions Charles Dawson and Kiern Jewiss have progressed to GT World Challenge Europe powered by AWS, leaving Andrew Howard and Rob Collard as the only active former British GT3 champions on the grid. Both hold two titles, while current GT4 champions Marc Warren and Jack Brown, along with 2015 GT3 champion Ross Gunn, complete a distinguished group competing in GT3 this season.
Despite these changes, the GT3 field retains many of last year’s leading contenders. Runner-up Hugo Cook continues his partnership with Rob Collard at Barwell Motorsport, Kevin Tse is joined by Ben Green in 2 Seas Motorsport’s lead Mercedes-AMG entry, and Alex Martin returns in a Lamborghini Huracán GT3.
The GT4 category features 11 cars, split almost evenly between Pro-Am and Silver entries. Growth in the Silver class, improved balance across categories, and an influx of new teams reflect the effectiveness of regulatory changes introduced over the winter. New entrants include Grange Racing with FSR, GBR Stratton, Innovation Racing and WSR Flexifly, while Fox Motorsport and Toro Verde GT return after extended absences.
Among the drivers, Colin Turkington has the opportunity to become only the second competitor—after Chris Hodgetts 31 years ago—to win both British GT and BTCC titles. He is joined by fellow touring car race winners Ronan Pearson and Darren Turner, the latter now firmly established as an Aston Martin factory GT driver.
Aston Martin’s broader motorsport presence also links to Jessica Hawkins, who could become just the fourth woman to secure an overall or class title in British GT, following Jamie Chadwick, Flick Haigh and Mia Flewitt. Meanwhile, Luca Hopkinson will be aiming to convert Silver class success into an overall championship challenge.
Optimum
GT star Ben Barnicoat will partner Morgan Tillbrook at Optimum this season. The 29-year-old, a Lexus driver since 2022, also brings strong experience with the McLaren 720S GT3 Evo from his time as a factory driver and has previously raced with Optimum, including at Bathurst.
His last British GT outing came in 2023 at Silverstone with Inception Racing, following an earlier GT4 stint. The 2026 campaign marks his first full season in the series, alongside his IMSA commitments with Vasser Sullivan Racing.
Tillbrook enters his second year with Optimum and sixth in the 720S. He narrowly missed out on last year’s title—finishing seventh despite being a contender at the finale—while his best result remains third in 2022.
Century Motorsport
Century Motorsport returns to GT3 competition with BMW, confirming Jonathon Beeson and Charles Clark as its Silver-Am pairing. The team also continues its GT4 campaign and arrives with strong credentials, having secured the GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup title last season with the BMW M4 GT3 Evo—two years after claiming the British GT title with the same manufacturer.
Charles Clark, widely regarded as one of the standout GT4 drivers in recent seasons, moves forward with valuable GT3 experience gained in both Aston Martin and BMW machinery. His expertise is expected to support Beeson, who steps up to GT3 following his Porsche Carrera Cup GB Am title success.
Both drivers expressed confidence in the partnership, highlighting the strength of the team and the competitiveness of the championship as they prepare for the season ahead.
Rodin Motorsport
Rodin Motorsport’s GT3 debut will see Australian pairing Josh Buchan and Cameron Campbell share a Ferrari 296 GT3. The team’s expansion into GT racing represents a notable shift from its single-seater roots.
Buchan arrives with an impressive résumé, including consecutive Australia Touring Car Series titles and the TCR Australia championship, while Campbell builds on a strong debut GT season. Together, they will compete across both British GT and GT World Challenge Australia, accelerating their development in the Ferrari platform.
Paradine Competition
Paradine Competition returns to the Silverstone 500 with two BMW GT3 entries featuring an accomplished line-up of race winners and former champions. Darren Leung and Dan Harper aim for a historic third victory in the event, while Ian Loggie and Phil Keen reunite as a highly experienced pairing.
With a proven record at Silverstone and strong driver combinations, Paradine enters the event as a formidable contender once again.
2 Seas Motorsport
Reigning teams’ champions 2 Seas Motorsport welcome Ben Green back to British GT, where he partners Kevin Tse in the lead Mercedes-AMG GT3. Green’s international GT3 experience and Tse’s consistent performances position the duo as strong title contenders.
A second entry features Kenzie Beecroft and Aaron Walker in a Silver-Am pairing, combining emerging talent with growing GT3 experience.
Reigning champions Charles Dawson and Kiern Jewiss will make a one-off British GT return with 2 Seas and Mercedes-AMG at the Silverstone 500
Paddock Motorsport
Paddock Motorsport continues with Mark Smith and Martin Plowman in the McLaren 720S GT3, entering their fourth season together. After a season of marked progress and consistent finishes, the team aims to translate its development into podium contention.
Beyond performance, Paddock will also run a fundraising campaign in support of Prostate Cancer UK, integrating charitable efforts into its 2026 programme.
Barwell Motorsport
Barwell Motorsport fields a three-car Lamborghini Huracán GT3 line-up in what will be the model’s final season before the introduction of its successor. Notable pairings include Duncan Cameron and Matt Griffin, Hugo Cook and Rob Collard, and Alex Martin alongside rising star Jarrod Waberski.
With a blend of experience and emerging talent, Barwell remains one of the strongest forces on the grid.
GBR Stratton
Experienced GT racer John Hartshorne and BTCC race winner Ronan Pearson will join forces this season in GBR Stratton’s Aston Martin Vantage GT4, marking a new chapter for the team formed from Graham Brunton Racing and Stratton.
Hartshorne, one of the most seasoned amateur GT drivers in modern endurance racing, returns to British GT after more than a decade away. Still actively competing at international level—including Le Mans as recently as 2024—he brings a wealth of experience, having raced everything from TVRs in the early 2000s to Aston Martins across Europe and Asia. For him, the pairing with Pearson represents both a return and a fresh challenge.
Pearson arrives in GT racing after three seasons in the British Touring Car Championship, stepping away from front-wheel-drive tin tops into rear-wheel-drive GT machinery for the first time. The 24-year-old former Clio Cup champion sees the move as a long-anticipated progression, even as he prepares to face familiar rivals in a new category.
Behind the scenes, GBR Stratton’s team management say extensive preparation work has gone into the programme, with strong technical input helping shape their GT4 package. Despite the contrast in experience between the two drivers, the goal is shared: to hit the ground running and turn potential into results in a highly competitive British GT field.
Innovation Racing
Innovation Racing will make its British GT Championship debut this season, stepping up after building its foundations in club and national GT racing. Founded in 2024 by team principal Simon Griffiths, the team draws on over 15 years of experience and enters the series with its Ginetta G56 GT4 Evo.
The driver line-up features Thomas Holland and Hadley Simpson, both familiar with the Ginetta platform. Holland returns to British GT after a season in McLaren Trophy Europe, while Simpson graduates to the championship following strong campaigns in GT Cup and Ginetta racing.
For both drivers, the season represents a new chapter with a developing team aiming to establish itself at the highest level of UK GT racing. Griffiths says the move marks the culmination of a long journey from club racing to the British GT grid, with ambitions to measure themselves against the best in the field.
Mahiki
Mahiki Racing has confirmed a major expansion of its British GT programme for 2026, adding a GT3 entry alongside its new GT4 effort.
In GT4, Blake Angliss and Revie Lake will share a McLaren Artura as the team continues its transition to McLaren machinery following earlier seasons with Lotus and Ginetta. Angliss remains with the squad after joining mid-season last year and arrives on the back of a strong campaign that included his first British GT pole position. Lake, stepping up from Ginetta Juniors, becomes one of the youngest drivers on the grid and could challenge the record for youngest-ever British GT race winner when the season opens at Silverstone.
At the sharp end of the programme, Mahiki will also make its full-season GT3 debut with Steven Lake partnering Josh Rowledge in a McLaren 720S. Lake graduates from GT4 machinery, while Rowledge returns to British GT after a season racing in Porsche Carrera Cup Asia, bringing prior GT3 experience from his 2024 campaign.
The team had intended to debut the GT3 car last year at Donington but a testing accident delayed its entry. Its first official outing will now come at the Silverstone 500 in April.
Rowledge joins as a Silver-graded driver and brings international experience from Asia, while Lake sees the pairing as a full-circle moment after previously mentoring Rowledge in karting. Together, Mahiki Racing head into 2026 aiming to establish themselves across both classes with a strengthened McLaren line-up.
Fox Motorsport
Fox Motorsport will return to the British GT Championship in 2026, partnering with former driver James Townsend to run a new Aston Martin Vantage GT4 under the Townsend Racing banner.
The Essex-based team, now an Aston Martin Racing partner outfit, reunites with Townsend for a Pro-Am GT4 campaign marking its first full British GT entry in several years. Fox last appeared in the series at the 2023 Donington finale and has previously enjoyed success across GT3 and GT4 machinery, including a Spa race win in 2022.
Townsend, a multiple class winner across Ginetta, GT Cup and Porsche Carrera Cup GB, previously scored three GT4 Pro-Am podiums in British GT and returns with clear long-term ambitions alongside the team that delivered much of his success.
Team principal Paul McNeilly said the project represents a major step forward, aiming to establish Fox as a leading Aston Martin GT4 squad in the UK. The season will begin at Silverstone.
Beechdean AMR
Aston Martin works driver Ross Gunn will return to the British GT Championship in 2026 with Beechdean AMR, reuniting with former co-driver and mentor Andrew Howard. The pair previously raced together a decade ago, winning titles and reviving a successful partnership that also brings back Beechdean’s classic blue and white livery.
Gunn, who spent 2025 competing in the Aston Martin Valkyrie programme in IMSA and WEC as well as a Spa 24 Hours outing with Howard, has deep ties to the team dating back to his teenage years and his British GT4 title win in 2015.
Howard, the reigning Silver-Am champion, returns to Pro-Am alongside Gunn and says the team is aiming for overall podiums in what he describes as one of Beechdean’s most exciting seasons in years.
The Orange Racing powered by JMH McLaren
Orange Racing powered by JMH will stick with continuity in the British GT Championship next season, as Simon Orange and Marcus Clutton reunite for a second year in their McLaren 720S GT3 Evo.
The Pro-Am pairing, who finished ninth overall in 2025 with a season-best second at Oulton Park, head into their fourth full campaign together with Orange Racing’s familiar blue and orange livery set for subtle updates.
For Orange, it marks his best championship return to date, while Clutton — a three-time British GT3 race winner in McLarens — brings proven pedigree as the team looks to build on its progress in 2026.
Full Send Racing
Full Send Racing (FSR) will make its British GT4 Championship debut in 2026 with a pair of Aston Martin Vantage entries.
Leading the programme is works Aston Martin driver Darren Turner, returning to the series for the first time since narrowly missing the 2022 title. One of the most experienced figures in GT racing, Turner brings decades of success across Le Mans and multiple Aston Martin programmes and will target the overall GT4 championship with the new outfit.
He is joined in the first car by team director Daniel Lavery, stepping up from national one-make racing and GT4 experience in Ginetta machinery. Lavery said the project has quickly evolved from a casual idea into a serious operation, with ambitions to challenge at the front despite being a new entry to the championship.
Team principal Elliott Cole, a former British GT racer himself, completes the leadership group behind FSR. He praised the blend of Turner’s experience and Lavery’s development, adding that the team’s early progress has given them confidence heading into their first season, with Silverstone set to mark their debut.
The RacerViews info
By Matt Hancock
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