British GT Championship

Round 7 – Donington Park | 5th–6th September 2026

Lavery and Turner Crowned Champions as Aston Martin Battles Through Donington

Aston Martin left a dramatic wet-to-dry Donington Park race with the first British GT championship title of 2026, as Daniel Lavery and Darren Turner secured the GT4 Pro-Am crown with one round remaining.

Their #27 Grange Racing with FSR Vantage finished fourth overall in GT4 and first in Pro-Am, extending an extraordinary run to five consecutive class victories. Elsewhere, Andrew Howard and Ross Gunn brought the #7 Beechdean Motorsport Vantage home fourth overall in GT3, while Jessica Hawkins and Will Orton finished sixth in GT4 after a pit-lane speeding penalty cost MK Racing a potential podium and the championship lead.

A Downpour Changes Everything

The championship contenders arrived on the grid expecting one of the most important races of the season. Then Donington weather intervened. A heavy shower shortly before the start left sections of the Grand Prix circuit saturated, with standing water and significant spray despite sunshine already beginning to dry other areas. The race was declared wet and almost the entire field committed to wet tyres.

For Aston Martin, the situation created opportunity as well as risk. Lavery started the #27 Grange Vantage near the front of GT4, while Hawkins began the race in the #21 MK Racing Aston Martin with she and Orton holding the overall GT4 championship lead. In GT3, Andrew Howard started ninth aboard the #7 Beechdean Vantage in what was his 156th and penultimate British GT race before his planned retirement from full-time competition.

Lavery Impresses in Treacherous Conditions

Lavery immediately looked comfortable in conditions that were anything but straightforward. While several Silver-graded drivers held an expected early advantage, Lavery kept the Pro-Am Aston Martin firmly among the GT4 leaders and ran third overall during the opening phase. The commentary was particularly complimentary about the relatively inexperienced driver’s performance on the wet surface and the progress he has made alongside Turner and the Grange/FSR operation.

There was an early championship twist when Jack Collins’ Century Motorsport BMW ran off track while attempting to pass the Aston Martin. Collins retained the position but was subsequently given a 10-second penalty for gaining an advantage off track. As the circuit rapidly dried, tyre choice became the defining strategic question. Two Innovation Racing Ginettas had gambled on slicks from the start. Initially they lost substantial time, but after approximately 30 minutes their lap times began to reveal that the crossover point had arrived. Grange reacted.

Grange Makes the Early Slick Call

Lavery became one of the first front-running GT4 drivers to abandon the wets and switch to slick tyres. It required an additional stop before the mandatory driver-change window and therefore carried a significant time cost, but the alternative was continuing on increasingly overheated wet tyres as the racing line dried.

Turner explained during the race that the team had been watching the lap times of the slick-shod Ginettas and believed the crossover point had arrived. The #27 subsequently began lapping substantially faster than competitors that remained on wets. The strategy didn’t ultimately deliver an overall podium, but it kept Grange firmly in the contest and, crucially, preserved what really mattered: the Pro-Am championship opportunity. When the mandatory window arrived, Lavery handed the Vantage to Turner.

Howard Escapes a Major Donington Moment

Beechdean’s race contained one of the more remarkable Aston Martin moments of the afternoon. Former championship leader Morgan Tillbrook lost control of the #77 Optimum McLaren under braking for the Melbourne Hairpin and collided heavily with Jonathon Beeson’s BMW, leaving the McLaren stranded and triggering a Full Course Yellow. Seconds later, Howard arrived at the same braking zone and also lost control.

The Beechdean Aston Martin slid towards the incident but somehow avoided Tillbrook’s stationary McLaren and continued without significant consequence. The British GT report subsequently described it as a “scary moment”; the live commentary was even more emphatic about how fortunate the escape had been. Howard recovered and remained around the top five before handing the car to Gunn.

As several championship rivals encountered incidents and penalties, Gunn quietly brought the Aston Martin through to fourth overall. It was another strong points finish in a season that has already included two second places at Oulton Park and third at Snetterton. The result keeps Howard and Gunn’s overall GT3 championship hopes mathematically alive heading to Brands Hatch.

Hawkins and Orton Pay a Heavy Price

MK Racing appeared well positioned to strengthen its GT4 championship lead for much of the race. Unlike Grange, Hawkins remained on wet tyres until the mandatory pit window. That strategy worked well: the Full Course Yellow helped cool the tyres and Hawkins remained among the leading GT4 contenders before handing the Aston Martin to Orton. Then came the moment that changed their championship position.

Hawkins was recorded 12km/h above the pit-lane speed limit on entry, resulting in a drive-through penalty for the #21 Vantage. Orton served it shortly afterwards, dropping several positions and turning what had looked like another potential podium into a recovery drive. Orton subsequently regained ground, including passing the Townsend Racing Aston Martin, but sixth was the eventual result. The consequence is significant. Hawkins and Orton arrived at Donington leading the overall GT4 standings; they leave third on 121 points, only six behind the two crews now tied on 127. Their title challenge is very much alive, but Brands Hatch has become considerably more important.

Turner Brings the Championship Home

At the front of the #27 Aston Martin, Turner continued to make progress during the second stint. By the closing stages, the championship mathematics had shifted firmly in Grange Racing’s favour. Problems and penalties for the rival Toro Verde Ginetta meant Lavery and Turner no longer needed to wait until Brands Hatch.

Turner crossed the line fourth overall in GT4 and first in Pro-Am.

It was their fifth consecutive Pro-Am victory and secured the 2026 British GT4 Pro-Am Championship with a round to spare. The achievement is particularly impressive given how the season began. Silverstone had not delivered the result they wanted, but victories at Oulton Park and Spa began a sequence that continued through both Snetterton races and now Donington. Turner was quick to praise Lavery’s opening stint afterwards, describing the conditions faced by the Am drivers as extremely difficult. Lavery, meanwhile, pointed out that winning Pro-Am had been the team's objective when the programme began, but they now head to Brands Hatch with an opportunity to fight for the overall GT4 championship as well.

Collard and Cook Win GT3 as Paddock Controls GT4

The overall GT3 victory went to Rob Collard and Hugo Cook in Barwell Motorsport’s #63 Lamborghini. Collard seized the lead from Jonathon Beeson at the start and managed the wet conditions superbly before Cook took over. The pair ultimately controlled the second half of the race and now heads to Brands Hatch with a 15.5-point championship advantage. Kevin Tse and Chris Lulham finished second for 2 Seas Motorsport after an impressive charge by Lulham, while team-mates Charles Dawson and Aaron Walker completed the podium.

In GT4, Blake Angliss and 16-year-old Revie Lake produced a measured lights-to-flag victory for Paddock Motorsport. Their decision to leave Angliss on wet tyres until the mandatory pit window proved particularly effective, allowing Lake to take over on slicks with a comfortable advantage.

One Further Aston Martin Result Changes After the Flag

The #40 Townsend Racing powered by Fox Motorsport Vantage of James Townsend and Joe Wheeler initially crossed the line immediately behind the leading Aston Martin contenders. However, the car was subsequently disqualified for a parc fermé infringement. That post-race decision also affected the Pro-Am championship mathematics, although Lavery and Turner cannot now be beaten because their superior race results would decide the championship even if another crew drew level on points at Brands Hatch.

A Championship Won – Two More Still Possible

Donington therefore leaves Aston Martin in a strong position heading into the final British GT weekend. Daniel Lavery and Darren Turner are already GT4 Pro-Am champions. Jessica Hawkins and Will Orton are only six points from the overall GT4 championship lead. Lavery and Turner themselves remain mathematically capable of adding the outright GT4 crown to their Pro-Am title.

In GT3, Howard and Gunn remain outsiders but are still mathematically in contention after Beechdean’s fourth-place finish.

The current FTP reading is that Donington demonstrated the depth of Aston Martin’s British GT campaign. The Vantage did not win either category outright, yet one crew secured a championship, another remains within six points of an overall title, and Beechdean survived one of the race’s biggest moments to keep its own season alive.

Brands Hatch Decides the Rest

Only the Brands Hatch finale on 26th–27th September now remains. For Lavery and Turner, there is already a championship to celebrate and an outright title still to chase. Hawkins and Orton arrive knowing six points separates them from the joint GT4 leaders. For Andrew Howard, Brands Hatch carries an additional significance: it is scheduled to be his final British GT race as a full-time driver.

Donington crowned Aston Martin’s first British GT champions of 2026. Brands Hatch will decide whether the Vantage leaves the season with even more silverware.