Chaos, Comebacks and Glory at Spa as Barwell Reaches Historic British GT Milestone

Barwell Secures 30th Lamborghini Victory

Barwell Motorsport celebrated a major milestone at Spa Francorchamps by securing its 30th British GT victory with Lamborghini.

Alex Martin and Jarrod Waberski delivered a flawless performance in the No. 78 Lamborghini Huracán GT3. The pair controlled the race after taking the lead on the opening lap and never looked back.

Their victory came after an intense two hour contest that featured 54 cars from both the British GT Championship and the French GT Championship. The combined grid created heavy traffic and constant challenges throughout the race.

At the finish, Martin and Waberski crossed the line just 2.1 seconds ahead of the Orange JMH McLaren driven by Simon Orange and Marcus Clutton.

Early Move Decides the Race

The foundations for victory were laid within minutes of the start.

Starting third, Martin inherited second position before the green flag after Morgan Tillbrook unexpectedly pitted during the formation laps.

The Lamborghini then surged alongside the pole sitting McLaren and completed a decisive pass through Eau Rouge.

Multiple Full Course Yellow and Safety Car periods prevented Martin from building a significant gap. However, the Barwell driver remained firmly in control of the race.

After the mandatory pit stop cycle, Waberski emerged back in the lead and immediately focused on managing the restarts.

His calm and measured approach ensured the chasing McLaren never had a realistic opportunity to attack.

The victory was further highlighted by Waberski setting the fastest lap of the race, strengthening his position in the SRO GT Academy standings.

Barnicoat Produces Stunning Recovery Drive

One of the standout performances came from Ben Barnicoat in the Optimum Motorsport McLaren.

An early issue forced team mate Morgan Tillbrook to pit before the race had properly begun. The setback dropped the car far down the order.

Despite the disadvantage, the McLaren remained on the lead lap and benefited from the early neutralisations.

Barnicoat then produced one of the drives of the weekend. Starting his stint in eleventh position, he carved through the field with remarkable pace.

The British driver passed several rivals before overtaking Ross Gunn and Hugo Cook during the final lap.

His late charge secured a hard fought third place finish and completed the overall podium.

Strategy and Penalties Shake Up the Order

Behind the leading trio, strategy and penalties played a major role.

Ross Gunn endured a difficult race after receiving a twenty second post race penalty for an infringement under Full Course Yellow conditions.

The incident elevated Kevin Tse and Ben Green to fifth position for 2 Seas Motorsport.

Century Motorsport’s Jonathon Beeson and Charles Clark also gained a place in the final classification.

The final top eight was reshaped further after the Optimum McLaren received a post race disqualification for exceeding boost limits.

Grange FSR Wins Dramatic GT4 Battle

The GT4 category produced one of the closest finishes of the season.

Daniel Lavery and Darren Turner claimed their second victory in as many races for Grange FSR Aston Martin.

The result appeared unlikely for much of the event.

The team carried twenty seconds of compensation time following its previous victory and received an additional ten second penalty for a Safety Car restart infringement.

Fortunately for the Aston Martin crew, several caution periods occurred during the pit window.

These interruptions significantly reduced the impact of the penalties and kept the team firmly in contention.

Turner Delivers a Masterclass

Following the driver changes, Darren Turner found himself chasing the leading Optimum McLaren of Josh Stanton and Mikey Porter.

Luke Shaw and Jack Mitchell also remained firmly in the battle with the Toro Verde Ginetta.

A late Safety Car period set up a twenty five minute sprint to the finish.

Turner immediately attacked. He first moved past Hadley Simpson before closing rapidly on Porter.

Traffic created a brief opening and Turner seized the opportunity to take the lead.

Porter responded with constant pressure during the closing laps, but the experienced Aston Martin driver defended perfectly to secure victory.

The margin at the finish was minimal as the top three cars crossed the line separated by only a few seconds.

Strong Performances Throughout the Field

Porter and Stanton secured second overall and victory in the Silver category.

Mitchell and Shaw completed the podium after remaining in contention throughout the final stages.

Branden Templeton and Jack Collins recovered impressively to finish fourth for Century Motorsport despite starting from the back of the grid.

Jessica Hawkins and Will Orton also delivered a strong comeback drive. Their Aston Martin completed the top five despite serving forty seconds of compensation time.

Innovation Racing finished sixth after showing strong pace during the opening stages.

Spa Delivers Another British GT Classic

The British GT Championship’s annual visit to Spa Francorchamps once again produced exceptional racing.

The combination of a huge international grid, changing strategies, multiple Safety Car periods and close battles created a memorable afternoon in Belgium.

Barwell Motorsport leaves Spa celebrating a historic milestone victory, while Grange FSR continues its impressive start to the GT4 campaign.

With championship battles intensifying across both categories, the remainder of the season promises even more excitement.