PB Racing with JMH Automotive set the pace at the GT Cup Championship’s annual pre-season test and media day at Donington Park, emerging fastest after challenging early conditions.

Tricky start in slippery conditions

The day began with a damp and slippery track, preventing teams from immediately pushing their cars to the limit around the Leicestershire circuit. As conditions gradually improved, lap times began to fall and teams started to find their rhythm.

PB Racing lead the way by a narrow margin

The quickest time of the day was set by the PB Racing duo of Peter Erceg and Marcus Clutton, who posted a 1m25.964sec. The 2024 British Endurance Championship champions narrowly edged out the #77 Optimum Motorsport McLaren 720S GT3 Evo of Morgan Tilbrook and McLaren factory driver Joseph Loake by just 0.040 seconds, although the #77 machine had led the way before the lunch break.

The JMH Automotive-run team completed a total of 82 laps over the course of the day, continuing to improve their performance throughout the session.

Joining Tillbrook for the test was McLaren factory driver Joseph Loake, although he confirmed to GT REPORT that his role was limited to testing duties rather than a competitive outing.

Price and McLeod return with Optimum

Optimum Motorsport also fielded a second car, with British GT duo Mike Price and Callum McLeod confirming plans to contest selected GT Cup rounds this season.

“GT Cup’s a championship that Mike and I know well,” Callum McLeod explained to GT REPORT. “We raced together in a McLaren in the GTH class in 2021 with some good success and then stepped up to GT3 in 2022 with a RAM Racing Mercedes.

“The way our seasons have fallen, we’re not doing the full British GT calendar, so we’re looking to add some GT Cup rounds to our programme to fill some of the weekends.”

The pair completed a strong showing by finishing third overall in the test.

Team BRIT and JMH Automotive Round Out the Top Five

The best of the rest came from Team BRIT, who made their GT3 debut in the championship with their #68 BMW M4 GT3 as they continue their ambition to become the first fully disabled team to compete at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

The duo of James Favley and Paul Fullick set a best time of 1m28.751sec.

Rounding out the top five were the JMH Automotive pairing of Frank Morris and James Pickford in their #63 Lamborghini Huracán Super Trofeo Evo II.

2026 season

The GT Cup Championship season is set to get underway at Donington Park on April 11-12, where teams will return to the Leicestershire circuit for the opening round of the 2026 campaign.

Artie Chatzikonstantinou contributed to this report.