+ GT3 victory for Tillbrook and Barnicoat
+ Hawkins’ last lap assault not enough to dislodge Lavery and Turner
+ Result: Oulton Park Race 2
Optimum’s Morgan Tillbrook and Ben Barnicoat opened their 2026 British GT Championship account by ultimately claiming a comfortable victory in Race 2 at Oulton Park where Daniel Lavery and Grange Racing with FSR scored their maiden GT4 wins along with Darren Turner.
The victorious McLaren took the chequered flag 3.7s clear of Beechdean’s Aston Martin shared by Andrew Howard and Ross Gunn who now top the drivers’ standings after collecting their second runner-up finish of the day. Kevin Tse and Ben Green’s 2 Seas Mercedes-AMG completed the podium after holding off the Orange/JMH McLaren after the pitstops.
Further back, Jessica Hawkins’ pursuit of Lavery during the second stint almost resulted in MK Racing’s Aston Martin triumphing for the first time this year. But, instead, it was another Vantage that held on to end Innovation’s two-race victory streak and become the first Pro-Am entry to win overall this season. Hawkins almost pounced as both cars ran side-by-side up Clay Hill on the final lap but couldn’t quite squeeze past.
A third second place in as many races leaves Hawkins and Will Orton 4.5 points behind Thomas Holland and Hadley Simpson who finished third after serving the maximum Compensation Time for winning this morning.
However, all owe their positions to Toro Verde’s misfortune. The Ginetta shared by Luke Shaw and Jack Mitchell enjoyed a commanding lead before a steering failure with less than 20 minutes ended the pair’s chances at Lodge.
Meanwhile, Beechdean’s qualifying dominance and two second place finishes, as well as Gunn claiming both fastest laps, resulted in them winning British GT’s team of the weekend award.
More to follow.