Barwell Motorsport emerged victorious from a dramatic and incident-filled British GT Championship encounter at Spa-Francorchamps, with Alex Martin and Jarrod Waberski claiming overall honours aboard the #78 Lamborghini Huracán GT3 Evo.

Competing alongside the French GT Championship on a packed 55-car grid, the Belgian contest was repeatedly interrupted by Full Course Yellow and Safety Car interventions, creating a strategic battle as much as an outright sprint.

Starting from pole position, Simon Orange’s #67 Orange Racing McLaren inherited top spot on the grid after Kevin Tse’s #18 2 Seas Motorsport Mercedes-AMG GT3 was relegated to the rear following a ride-height infringement in qualifying. With an additional 20-second success penalty to serve after victory at Oulton Park, Tse faced an uphill challenge from the outset.

The pre-race drama was not confined to the Mercedes camp. Mike Price’s McLaren failed to leave the grid under its own power and required recovery, while second-placed starter Morgan Tilbrook was forced into the pits at the end of the formation laps after developing a problem, effectively dropping him close to a lap behind before the race had properly begun.

When the lights went out, Martin wasted little time in asserting himself. The Barwell driver swept past Orange through Eau Rouge to seize the lead, immediately beginning to build an advantage at the front. Behind him, Orange found himself under pressure from the #90 Optimum Motorsport McLaren and Rob Collard’s recovering #63 Barwell Lamborghini.

Collard’s opening stint was particularly impressive. Having started at the rear of the GT3 field after all of his qualifying laps were deleted for track limits infringements, he surged through the order to fourth place by the end of the opening lap.

Traffic quickly became a major factor as British GT competitors negotiated large numbers of French GT entries, making overtaking opportunities scarce and forcing drivers to balance attack with defence.

The first neutralisation arrived after around 20 minutes when the first of many French GT entrants found the barriers at the exit of Paul Frère, triggering a Full Course Yellow that would escalate into a Safety Car. The interruption provided Tilbrook with a much-needed opportunity to reconnect with the main pack.

In GT4, Revie Lake in the #84 Paddock Motorsport McLaren Artura GT4 had established an early class advantage before his race unravelled immediately after the restart. The class leader slowed dramatically and came to a halt at the side of the circuit, ending a promising afternoon.

The battle for GT4 honours intensified as Tom Holland’s #74 Ginetta found itself delayed by one of the French GT Toyota entries, allowing the #59 McLaren to close rapidly. The momentum swing became even more significant during the pit-stop sequence.

A further Full Course Yellow, prompted by additional incidents involving French GT competitors, coincided with the mandatory driver changes. Mikey Porter emerged in the #59 McLaren holding the GT4 lead ahead of the #74 Ginetta of Hadley Simpson.

Following another prolonged Safety Car period, racing resumed with just under 40 minutes remaining. Waberski continued to occupy the overall lead in the #78 Lamborghini, pursued by Marcus Clutton in the #67 McLaren, while Hugo Cook ran third in the sister #63 Barwell entry.

In GT4, Porter led the way ahead of Hadley Simpson’s Ginetta and Darren Turner in the #27 Grange Racing with FSR Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4 Evo.

Waberski executed the restart perfectly, opening a one-second advantage over Clutton before the field had completed a lap. However, any chance of the race settling into a rhythm was short-lived.

A third Full Course Yellow was required after another French GT machine became stranded in the gravel at Blanchimont, adding further delays to an already fragmented contest.

The closing stages also saw trouble for the #90 Optimum Motorsport McLaren. Jack Brown was forced to pit with approximately 20 minutes remaining after suffering an issue that cost the car significant ground exiting Pouhon.

GT4 provided some of the most intense action of the afternoon. Turner and Porter became embroiled in a fierce battle for class victory while simultaneously navigating packs of French GT4 machinery competing in a separate championship.

One particularly frustrating moment for Porter occurred when an Alpine squeezed him towards the pit wall while unaware of the faster British GT contender approaching, costing valuable time at a crucial stage of the race.

That proved decisive as Turner and Dan Lavery capitalised to move into the class lead and ultimately secure GT4 victory for Aston Martin.

At the chequered flag, Waberski completed the job started by Martin to deliver overall victory for Barwell Motorsport’s #78 Lamborghini after expertly managing multiple restarts and relentless traffic throughout the race.

Behind them, Clutton and Orange secured second place in the #67 McLaren, while Barnicoat and Tillbrook completed the podium in the recovering #77 Optimum Motorsport McLaren following a ferocious penultimate lap from Barnicoat that saw him take full advantage of the slower traffic to take third place from Hugo Cook.

In GT4, Turner and Lavery emerged on top after a bruising battle with Mikey Porter and Josh Stanton in the #59 Optimum Motorsport McLaren and Jack Mitchell and Luck Shaw took third place in the #42 Toro Verde GT Ginetta G56 GT4 Evo.

Pictures: SRO/JEP