2 Seas / Tse / Lulham Secure Pole at Brands Hatch with Optimum on Pole in GT4

Kevin Tse and Chris Lulham, driving the #18 2 Seas Motorsport Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo secured pole position for the final round of the 2026 Brirish GT Championship. Tse lapped the Brands Hatch GP circuit in 1:24.202 while Llham put in a 1:22.986 to take pole position in the GT3 category ahead of the #63 Barwell Moorsport Lambiorghini Huracan piloted by Rob Collard and Hugo Cook.

Completing the top three in the GT3 category was the #7 Orange Racing by JMH McLaren 720S GT3 driven by Simon Orange and Marcus Clutton wjo set a combined ime of 2:27.360.

In the GT4 class, pole position was taken by the #59 Optimum Motorsport McLAren Artura GT4 in which Josh Stanton lapped in 1:30.407 and George Gamble put in a 1:30.532 to set a combined time of 3:00.939, just under half a second quicker than Revie Lake and Blake Angliss in the #84 Paddock Motorsport McLaren. Third quckest was the #42 Toro Verde GT Ginetta G56 GT4 Evo in which Luke Shaw and Jack Mitchell set a combined time of 3:02.309.

The first GT3 qualifying session got underway in perfect conditions with a warm sunshine and a light breeze.

Rob Collard was at the wheel of the #63 Barwell Motorsport Lamborghini Huracan GT3 EVO as Marc Warren driving the #90 Mclaren 720S GT3 lapped in 1:24.905. Collard went quicker with a 1:24.455. Morgan Tillbrook then set a 1:24.492 in the #77 Optimum Motorsport McLaren as Andrew Howard, in his last weekend of British GT competition, lapped in 1:25.553 to put the #7 Beechdean Aston Martin sixth on the timing screens.  

With four minutes remaining Collard was quickest, followed by Tillbrook, Orange, Tse and Martin.

Mark Warren in the 90 Optimum Motorsport McLaren then put in a 1:24.149 to go to the top of the timing screens, .042 seconds quicker than Collard who had lapped in 1:24.191.

As the session wound down, Warren went quicker again with a 1:23.978, putting over two-tenths between himself and Rob Collard. Kev Tse put in a 1:24.395 to go third quickest.

When the chequered flag came out, Warren had put the #90 McKAren on provisional pole, followed by Rob Collard in the #63 Lamborghini,  Kevin Tse in the #18 2 Seas Motorsport Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo and Simon Orange in the #67 Orange Racing by JM McLaren.

The second session got underway with Jack Brown in the driving seat of the #90 McLaren, Hugo Cook in the #63 Lamborghini and Chris Lulham in the #18 Mercedes-AMG GT3. Hugo Cook put the first flying lap on the board with a 1:23.219 to put the #63 Lamborghini at the top of the timing screens. Ben Barnicoat had put in a 1:22.994 with the result that the #77 McLaren was second quickest.

Marcus Clutton lapped in 1:22.962, elevating the #67 McLaren to provisional pole. There was drama for Ross Gunn in the #7 Aston Martin who went off at Clearways and made firm contact with the barriers. The session was immediately red flagged and the cars returned to the put lane.

Recovery vehicles were sent to the incident with the announcement that the session would re-commence with four minutes left on the clock.

When the session resumed, there was time for two flying laps if the car left the pitlane promptly.

Lulham then lapped in 1:22.686 to put the #18 2 Seas Motorsport Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo on pole followed by Hugo Cook in the #63 Barwell Lamborghini who, on combined times, was less than a tenth of a second behind. Third quickest was the #67 Orange Racing by JMH McLaren followed by the #77 Optimum Motorsport McLaren, the sister #90 McLaren, the #44 Century Motorsport BMW and the #78 Barwell Motorsport Lamborghini.

GT4 qualifying promptly got underway with Tom Holland lapping in 1:31.451 in the #74 Innovation Racing Ginetta G56 GT4 Evo. Stanton in the #59 Optimum Motorsport McLaren Artura GT4 went quicker with a 1:30.666 and then put in 1:30.407 to put over a second between the #59 car and Holland in the #74 Ginetta.

The session was red-flagged after James Townsend in the #40 Townsend Racing powered by Fox Motorsport Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4 went off at Paddock Hill Bend and it was announced that the session would not re-start. Townsend, who was driving the weekend as s solo driver, began the task of trying to drive the #50 car round the circuit to get it back to the pits in time for the second GT4 session.

The final session then got underway with George Gamble now at the wheel of the #59 McLaren and Brett Angliss driving the #84 Paddock Motorsport McLaren. Angliss put in a 1:30.955 to put the #84 McLaren at the top of the timing screens but was quickly passed by Tom Gamble who put the #59 McLaren on to provisional pole.

As the chequered flag came out, it was the #59 Optimum Motorsport McLaren on pole position with a combined time of 3:00.939 followed by the #84 McLaren with a combined 3:01.512.

Third quickest was the #42 GTPA Ginetta G56 GT4 Evo followed by the #24 BMW M4 GT4, the #27 Aston Martin and the #74 Ginetta.   

The lights go out for the final round of the 226 British GT Championship season at  1.30pm on Sunday September the 27th