Grange Racing by FSR secured a British GT Championship treble by winning the overall drivers title, the Pro-Am Championship and the overall GT4 class in dramatic fashion at Brands Hatch on Sunday 27 September 2026, completing a remarkable first season in GT racing.
Darren Turner, The Grange Racing Team Leader delivered a defensive masterclass on the way to leading the team to the British GT Championship GT4 Class with teammate Dan Lavery. Turner absorbed immense pressure throughout his hour-long stint from a number of pursuers, one of which was title rival MK Racing.
"This one does feel a little bit special,” admitted Turner, whose three 2026 titles add to the two GT4 Pro-Am titles he won with Newbridge Motorsport in 2021 and 2022. “It’s obviously lovely to have won the GT4 title outright, and to have won the GT4 Pro-Am title three times.
“It’s something you have forever, and of course when I look back on my career, these will be some of the highlights. But if I’m honest I’m probably more delighted for Dan and the team. What they have achieved in their first year of GT racing is nothing short of sensational.”
Grange Racing were one of five combinations that could have claimed the title, but in the end it came down to a straight fight between the two Aston Martin GT4s of Grange Racing by FSR and MK Racing, after the title-contending Innovation Racing Ginetta retired at the halfway mark with a puncture and the Century Motorsport BMW dropped out of contention following a lengthy success penalty during the mid-race driver stop.
Grange Racing qualified fifth, behind the BMW, but ahead of the rival Aston Martin.
Lavery started his stint running in fifth overall and after a solid performance and the success penalties allocated to the teams who were on the podium at Donington, Turner emerged in second place.
But the job was far from complete. Turner, whose Aston Martin did not have the pace of some of his rivals, was struggling to get his tyres to work consistently and was suffering understeer. And realising that second place was all he needed to win the championship, he suddenly came under pressure from a faster Ginetta being driven by Jack Mitchell.
“Jack played very fair with me,” said Turner, “but there was no rest. And as we battled, that brought Will Orton’s MK Racing Aston Martin back into play.”
Orton, Hawkins’ team-mate, was also in contention for the title but had to pass both Mitchell and Turner to secure the championship, and so the pressure was on. At one point, with about 15 minutes to go, Mitchell tried to pass Turner on the outside of Druids as the 52-year-old left space for a GT3 to lap them both on the inside, and the pair made contact.
“I was focussed on making sure I dropped in behind the GT3 at the apex and didn’t see Jack,” explained Turner. “Luckily neither of us suffered too much from it, which I was glad about.”
It did give Orton a chance to pounce on the Ginetta, which meant that the final laps required all of Turner’s experience and racing savvy to contain the challenge.
“Having someone right behind you is part of racing,” said Turner. “Attacking is fun and defending is fun; you make the most of whichever position you’re in. The GT3 traffic adds an unpredictable element that you have to manage as well.
“If you’re defending against one car, that’s straightforward enough. With a car so close behind, though, your rearward visibility is limited. There are only certain corners where you can see farther back and judge when a GT3 car is approaching.
“You’re trying to work out where it will catch you and make a plan. Occasionally, I had to defend my position relative to a GT3 car so I could stay tight to the apex. If it pushed me wide, the Ginetta or the other Aston could nip underneath, get the momentum and pass. That was the trickiest part.”
By the last lap, Turner’s tyres were spent and his Vantage was handling nowhere near its best. He caught a slide on the exit of Clearways coming up to the finish line, and Orton got the momentum – until he put a wheel on the grass, which was enough to ensure Turner stayed ahead across the line to seal his first championship title in four years.
Grange Racing ended the season level on 143.5 points with MK Racing’s Vantage but were awarded the title on countback, having claimed two overall GT4 victories to MK Racing’s none.
Ben Crudgington, Managing Director of Grange Racing was absolutely delighted with the first year’s victories and offered congratulations to the whole team and especially the drivers Turner and Lavery.
Crudgington also recognised the partnership with cinch had been a crucial factor in winning the Championship.
