Shahin and Patterson Win Silverstone 500
April 27, 2026(Photo: The Race-Winning #3 Optimum Motorsport McLaren 720S GT3 Evo driven by Yasser Shahin and Garnett Patterson – Photo: Paren Raval (@parenraval) – Silverstone 25.04.26)
Innovation Racing’s Holland and Simpson Take GT4 Honours
Yasser Shahin and Garnet Patterson, teammates in the #3 Optimum Motorsport McLaren 720S GT3 Evo, took the overall victory at the Silverstone 500, the opening round of the 2026 British GT Championship. After a three-hour contest interrupted by Full Course Yellows and safety cars, the Australian duo took the chequered flag just under 1.5 seconds ahead of the #44 Century Motorsport BMW M4 GT3 Evo piloted by Jonathon Beeson and Charles Clark.
Completing the GT3 podium was the pole-sitting #91 Paradine Motorsport BMW driven by Darren Leung and Dan Harper.
Class honours in the GT4 category went to the #74 Innovation Racing Ginetta G56 GT4 Evo piloted by Thomas Holland and Hadley Simpson, closely followed by the #21 MK Racing Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4 Evo driven by Will Orton and Jessica Hawkins. The #59 Optimum Motorsport McLaren Artura GT4 of Luca Hopkinson and Josh Stanton completed the top three.
Darren Leung led the field away from pole position in the #91 BMW followed by Morgan Tillbrook in the #77 Optimum Motorsport McLaren 720S GT3 Evo. After a frantic opening lap which saw Charles Dawson in the #1 Mercedes turned around, Leung was over 2.5 seconds ahead of Rob Collard in the #63 Barwell Motorsport Lamborghini Huracan GT3 Evo2. Andrew Howard, driving the opening stint in the #7 Beechdean Motorsport Aston Martin had moved up to third after using all of his extensive experience at the start.
By Lap 12, Collard in the #63 Lamborghini was starting to put pressure on Leung and the gap dropped to just after half a second as the leading pair pulled out a gap of 5.7 seconds ahead of Howard in the #7 Aston Martin.
After James Townsend in the #40 Townsend Racing powered by Fox Motorsport GT4 Aston Martin spun at Abbey, the race was neutralised with a full course yellow. After the safety car was deployed, Leung and Collard pitted together with Howard opting to stay out.
For the first two and a half hours, the race appeared to be a foregone conclusion with Leung and teammate Dan Harper in a class of their own, controlling the field from the front and looking certain to secure a third Silverstone 500 win for Harper.
However, it was the final hour where the story was upended after Duncan Cameron beached the #55 Barwell Motorsport Lamborghini, triggering the final decisive safety car period. Paradine’s BMW was forced to make a mandatory stop under green flag conditions while Optimum Motorsport’s Shahin and Patterson had no such worry. The race-winning strategy moved the McLaren from ninth on the grid into the race lead and jumped the faster BMWs in the pits.
Patterson inherited the lead for the final sprint and fended off a late-race charge to secure the first win for an Australian driver in the senior class.
Although Shahin and Patterson took the overall win, as a guest entry they were ineligible for points, leaving the Clark / Beeson BMW to claim maximum points. Leung and Harper claimed the final podium spot, concluding a dominant performance frustrated by the multiple race neutralisations.
The GT4 class was defined by a clinical performance from debutants Innovation Racing with Thomas Holland and Hadley Simpson completing a perfect weekend, converting their pole position into a commanding victory.
Holland established an early lead, utilising the Ginetta’s pace to build a gap before the first round of stops. However, the multiple full course yellows and safety cars ensured the race remined a strategic puzzle until the very end. A late neutralisation bunched the pack and set up a final sprint to the chequered flag. Hadley Simpson, at the wheel for the final stint, held his nerve under pressure from Jessica Hawkins in the #21 MK Racing Aston Martin.
Although Hawkins closed the gap to 1.2 seconds, Simpson took the debut win for Simon Griffiths’ squad.
In the GT4 Pro-Am class, Toro Verde GT took the win with drivers Jack Mitchell and Luke Shaw. Finishing an impressive fifth in the overall class standings.
The British GT grid next assembles at Oulton Park on May 23rd – 25th.
