British GT: Strategy Steals the Show for Yasser Shahin and Garnet Patterson

Optimum Motorsport rolled the strategy dice to perfection at Silverstone, and it paid off in spectacular fashion as Yasser Shahin and Garnet Patterson claimed the prestigious RAC Trophy in a dramatic British GT season opener. Behind them, Innovation Racing made an immediate statement on debut, with Hadley Simpson and Thomas Holland turning pole into a commanding GT4 victory.

For much of the three-hour contest, the script appeared straightforward. Darren Leung and Dan Harper dictated proceedings from pole, controlling the pace for the opening two-and-a-half hours and looking every inch the likely winners. But endurance racing rarely follows a script. A sequence of well-timed Safety Cars, combined with Optimum’s bold pit strategy, flipped the race on its head—dropping Paradine’s BMW down to third by the chequered flag.

Splitting the pair of M4s, Century Motorsport’s Jonathon Beeson and Charles Clark delivered a measured drive to second overall, a result that also puts them at the top of the early GT3 standings given the winning Optimum entry’s guest status. Still, the spotlight belonged to Shahin and Patterson, whose triumph marked the first overall British GT win for an Australian driver since Charlie Cox nearly three decades ago.

In GT4, Innovation Racing seized its moment. Holland and Simpson backed up their pole position with a composed, clinical performance to take victory ahead of MK Racing’s Aston Martin pairing of Jessica Hawkins and Will Orton. The podium fight went down to the wire, with Optimum’s McLaren duo Luca Hopkinson and Josh Stanton just 1.8 seconds shy of the win in a tightly packed top three. The result also ended a two-year run of dominance by Century and Optimum in the class, while handing Ginetta its first victory since 2023.

Another Ginetta, run by Toro Verde, had looked like a genuine contender for overall honours before strategy and timing worked against Luke Shaw and Jack Mitchell. Even so, the pair salvaged Pro-Am class victory after an otherwise promising showing.

GT3: Strategy steals the show

Few would have picked Optimum’s #3 McLaren as the race-winning car from ninth on the grid. But a sharp opening stint and a cleverly judged strategy call around half-distance quietly brought it into contention—before the timing of multiple Safety Car periods did the rest.

Chaos struck early. Two Seas Motorsport’s hopes unravelled almost immediately when team-mates Charles Dawson and Kevin Tse collided at Copse, leaving the latter out on the spot and triggering the first caution period. From the restart, Leung surged clear and, alongside Harper, began to build what looked like an unassailable advantage.

Their charge was aided by trouble for rivals. A fire sidelined Barwell’s Rob Collard and Hugo Cook, while Morgan Tillbrook and Ben Barnicoat saw their challenge undone by a mistimed Safety Car and subsequent penalty. Barnicoat’s blistering stint briefly vaulted Optimum’s sister McLaren into contention, but it ultimately lost ground during a poorly timed stop.

The decisive move came from the eventual winners. Optimum brought Shahin and Patterson in earlier than their rivals for a second stop, gambling on future neutralisations to complete the remaining driver change. That gamble paid off handsomely. Two Safety Cars fell perfectly for the #3 crew, allowing them to make their final stop at minimal cost and leapfrog the field.

By the time Harper took over from Leung for the closing stages, the damage was done. Patterson was charging, and the BMW had no answer.

A final twist came when another Safety Car played into Century’s hands. Beeson and Clark, right on their drive-time limit, were able to pit under caution and rejoin ahead of Harper, setting up a late dash to the flag. Despite his efforts, the BMW driver ran out of time, finishing just behind a top two separated by little more than a second.

Behind them, Simon Orange and Marcus Clutton secured fourth for Orange Racing powered by JMH, while Barwell’s Alex Martin and Jarrod Waberski completed the top five. Beechdean’s Aston Martin showed flashes of pace before contact hampered its run, leaving Andrew Howard and Ross Gunn to recover to sixth.

GT4: Innovation delivers on debut

Innovation Racing’s first British GT outing could hardly have gone better. Starting from pole, Holland initially lost the lead to MK Racing’s Jamie Orton but stayed within striking distance before reclaiming top spot with a decisive move down the Wellington Straight.

From there, the race became a strategic chess match. Multiple Safety Cars compressed the field and threatened to turn the outcome into a lottery, but Innovation judged each call to perfection. A well-timed stop under caution allowed Simpson to take over in a strong position, while rivals found themselves compromised by less favourable timing.

Toro Verde’s Ginetta looked especially threatening, with Jack Mitchell charging to the front during the middle stint. But an early stop and the timing of subsequent cautions worked against them, dropping the car out of contention for victory.

Innovation, by contrast, nailed the crucial moments. Their final stop, once again under neutralised conditions, put them back into the lead for the run to the flag. A late Safety Car set up a tense sprint finish, with Simpson heading a tightly bunched lead group.

Despite pressure from Hawkins and Stanton in the closing laps, Simpson remained composed to secure a memorable debut win. Behind, Optimum’s McLaren held off a late charge from Century’s BMW to complete the podium, with less than four seconds covering the top four.

Further back, Shaw and Mitchell’s recovery drive secured Pro-Am honours, while strong performances from GBR Stratton and WSR Flexifly rounded out the class podium positions.

With the curtain-raiser complete, attention now turns to Oulton Park, where the championship shifts gears for a pair of one-hour sprints over the late May Bank Holiday weekend.