Race 1: Barwell Extends Oulton Masterclass as Century Claims Breakthrough GT4 Triumph
Barwell Motorsport once again underlined its dominance at Oulton Park by securing victory in the opening British GT Championship contest of Bank Holiday Monday. Rob Collard and Hugo Cook guided the #63 Lamborghini Huracán to a hard-fought win, while Century Motorsport’s Branden Templeton and Jack Collins celebrated a landmark maiden GT4 success.
After starting from pole in the hands of Andrew Howard, Beechdean AMR looked poised to challenge for top honours, but Collard swept into the lead at Old Hall on the opening lap and quickly established control. Despite a relentless late-race charge from Ross Gunn, Cook held firm under immense pressure to cross the line just 0.2 seconds clear and secure Barwell’s remarkable 10th victory from 21 Oulton Park appearances with Lamborghini machinery. For Collard, it marked a third consecutive win at the circuit.
Completing the GT3 podium were Optimum Motorsport’s Marc Warren and Jack Brown, whose composed drive also delivered a maiden Silver-Am class victory.
In GT4, Century’s fan-favourite dragon-liveried BMW M4 — affectionately known as “Chomp” — roared to an emotional breakthrough triumph. Benefitting from strategic timing during the caution period and a clean second stint from Templeton, the pair edged Jessica Hawkins and Will Orton by less than a second in a thrilling finish.
Innovation Racing’s Hadley Simpson and Thomas Holland completed the class podium despite serving substantial compensation time following their Silverstone victory, while Toro Verde’s Luke Shaw and Jack Mitchell secured Pro-Am honours with a strong fifth-place finish overall.
GT3: Gunn’s Late Charge Falls Agonisingly Short
Andrew Howard’s sensational pole position — his first in British GT since 2015 — briefly put Beechdean AMR in command, but Collard wasted no time seizing the initiative into Old Hall and rapidly built a commanding early advantage.
Behind the leaders, the opening stages were punctuated by drama as Paddock and Optimum McLarens tangled, spinning Tillbrook and forcing Ian Loggie onto the grass in avoidance. Marc Warren capitalised to maintain third ahead of Alex Martin and Simon Orange.
As the pit window approached, attention shifted to Morgan Tillbrook’s recovery drive, highlighted by bold overtaking moves and a spirited charge back through the field. Up front, Cook emerged from the stops still ahead of Gunn, while strategic gains elevated Paddock Motorsport’s McLaren into contention after rivals served additional compensation time.
A late Safety Car, triggered by incidents at Druids, transformed the complexion of the race. Gunn immediately piled pressure onto Cook after the restart, and GT4 traffic on the final lap almost handed Beechdean a route through. Yet Cook delivered a faultless defensive lap to preserve Barwell’s extraordinary Oulton Park record.
Warren and Brown secured third, while Mark Smith and Martin Plowman achieved a career-best British GT result in fourth. Alex Martin and Jarrod Waberski rounded out the top five despite carrying compensation time.
GT4: “Chomp” Charges to Maiden Victory
Century Motorsport’s breakthrough GT4 win was forged through resilience after Jack Collins endured a chaotic opening lap. Forced onto the grass while avoiding spinning GT3 machinery at Turn 1, the BMW dropped to fifth before Collins launched an aggressive recovery drive.
Innovation Racing’s Ginetta, driven by Hadley Simpson, initially controlled proceedings from pole ahead of Jessica Hawkins and Josh Stanton. Collins steadily carved his way back into contention, overtaking Stanton before pressuring Hawkins as pit stops loomed.
The race turned decisively when Stanton’s McLaren was spun into the barriers following contact with Jack Mitchell’s Ginetta, prompting a lengthy Full Course Yellow. Century timed their stop perfectly under reduced-speed conditions, allowing Templeton to emerge in the lead ahead of Will Orton’s Aston Martin.
From there, Templeton withstood sustained pressure to secure an immensely popular maiden victory by just 0.9 seconds. Holland produced a bold late move to snatch third from Revie Lake’s Mahiki McLaren, while Lake and Blake Angliss impressed with fourth after starting from the pit lane.
Toro Verde rounded out the top five and claimed Pro-Am honours ahead of Grange Racing by FSR.
Race 2: Optimum and Grange Racing Shine in Thrilling Oulton Finale
Optimum Motorsport returned to winning ways in Race 2 as Morgan Tillbrook and Ben Barnicoat claimed an emphatic GT3 victory, while Daniel Lavery and Darren Turner delivered Grange Racing by FSR’s maiden GT4 triumph in a dramatic conclusion to the Oulton Park weekend.
Tillbrook brought the McLaren home 3.7 seconds clear of the Beechdean Aston Martin shared by Andrew Howard and Ross Gunn, whose pair of runner-up finishes elevated them to the top of the championship standings. Kevin Tse and Ben Green completed the overall podium for 2 Seas Motorsport after fending off intense pressure from the Orange/JMH McLaren.
GT4 produced one of the weekend’s standout moments as Lavery resisted a breathtaking final-lap attack from Jessica Hawkins. The pair ran side-by-side up Clay Hill in a tense sprint to the finish, but the Grange Racing Aston Martin held on by just 0.4 seconds to seal victory and become the first Pro-Am crew to win outright in GT4 this season.
Hawkins and Will Orton secured another runner-up finish, leaving them narrowly behind championship leaders Thomas Holland and Hadley Simpson, who completed the podium in third.
The race, however, was dramatically reshaped by heartbreak for Toro Verde. Luke Shaw and Jack Mitchell appeared destined for victory after building a commanding lead before a steering failure sent Shaw into the gravel at Lodge with under 20 minutes remaining.
Meanwhile, Beechdean AMR’s exceptional weekend — featuring pole position, two overall podiums, and fastest laps for Ross Gunn in both races — earned the squad British GT’s Team of the Weekend honours.
GT3: Optimum Returns to the Top Step
Ben Barnicoat shadowed polesitter Ross Gunn throughout the opening stint, content to remain within striking distance while Beechdean carried additional compensation time into the pit cycle.
The leading duo quickly distanced themselves from the rest of the field before the strategic picture shifted during the stops. Tillbrook emerged ahead, although Howard briefly threatened after GT4 traffic compromised the McLaren’s momentum.
Kevin Tse and Simon Orange soon joined the battle, creating a tense four-car lead train. However, intelligent traffic management and determined defensive driving from Howard inadvertently helped Tillbrook establish the decisive margin he needed.
Behind them, Rob Collard produced a determined recovery drive to salvage points for Barwell Motorsport after the team’s Race 1-winning Lamborghini was hindered by maximum compensation time.
Post-race penalties ultimately reshuffled the order, promoting Barwell and Optimum further up the classification after Orange/JMH received a 30-second sanction for overtaking under yellow flags.
GT4: Lavery Holds Firm in Last-Lap Aston Martin Duel
GT4 honors were decided in spectacular fashion as Daniel Lavery and Darren Turner survived a ferocious final-lap challenge from Jessica Hawkins and Will Orton.
For much of the race, Toro Verde looked untouchable. Jack Mitchell converted pole into a commanding advantage before handing over to Luke Shaw with a comfortable margin. However, disaster struck when a steering failure at Lodge eliminated the leading Ginetta and transformed the race.
That handed Lavery the opportunity to inherit the lead after a strong pit sequence from Grange Racing by FSR. Hawkins rapidly closed a six-second deficit during the closing stages, setting up a dramatic duel between the two Aston Martins.
Lavery appeared secure until a slight error exiting Knickerbrook compromised his momentum and allowed Hawkins alongside on the run to Druids. The MK Racing driver launched one final attack around the outside, but Lavery defended brilliantly to secure victory by less than half a second.
Hawkins and Orton nonetheless strengthened their championship challenge with another Silver-class win, while Holland and Simpson consolidated their points lead with third after an intense multi-car battle involving Century Motorsport and Mahiki Racing.
The British GT Championship now heads to Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps on June 20–21 for the season’s first two-hour endurance race, held alongside Championnat de France FFSA GT.
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