Reigning British GT champions Rob and Ricky Collard will reunite with the Barwell Motorsport team for a one-off attack on the CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa later this month.
Father-and-son pairing Rob and Ricky will join Barwell’s regular GT World Challenge Europe powered by AWS drivers Bijoy Garg and Adam Ali aboard the #76 Lamborghini Huracan GT3 EVO2 for the world’s biggest GT3 race, with the car moving into the Bronze category as a result.
The #76 had been due to compete in the Silver class, however Christian Bogle has made the decision to step back from the programme for the remainder of the season. A replacement Silver-graded driver for the rest of the GT World Challenge Europe campaign will be announced shortly.
Rob and Ricky were the standout entry in last season’s British GT Championship, securing two race wins and four further podium finishes on their way to the domestic title with Barwell. Both are also well versed in the demands of the 24 Hours of Spa, having been Pro-Am class winners with Barwell back in 2020.
Rob and Ricky last competed in the 24 Hours together in 2021 aboard a RAM Racing Mercedes-AMG. While Ricky formed part of Barwell’s team at the event last year alongside Till Bechtolsheimer/Antoine Doquin/Sandy Mitchell, this will mark Rob’s first appearance at the 24 Hours since 2023.
While Rob has been racing a Barwell Lamborghini alongside Hugo Cook in British GT this year – the pair scored their breakthrough victory at Oulton Park recently – Ricky has also remained close to the team, acting as driver coach to the #76 crew.
“I’m delighted this chance has come about, and I can’t wait to race with Ricky again. This will be the third time we've done the 24 Hours together, and it's always a special event. Having missed the Prologue test we’ve got a bit of catching up to do, and Ricky’s not been in the car all year, but I have no doubt he’ll get right back up to speed again in a few laps. Having British GT the weekend before will be a huge help as I’ll get great track time and we have a chance to get the car into a good window ahead of the 24 Hours. I’m also looking forward to the challenge of the 24 Hours, driving at night and the huge grid – it’ll also be fun racing against Hugo [Cook] and Sandy [Mitchell] who are both out with different teams! I think we’re set for a great couple of race weekends, and we’ll be aiming for strong results in both.”
“It’s amazing to get this opportunity, and to be back racing alongside my dad with Barwell. It’s been a frustrating start to the season not being out there after the highs we had in 2024, so to get back into the car for the biggest race of the year just makes things even more special. The last time Dad and I raced together we won the British GT title at Brands Hatch, and we’ve won at Spa before back in 2020, so we’re definitely going for some more honours this year. I’ve been staying busy with the Barwell team and have coached Bijoy and Adam all season, so it will be great to actually share a car with them and help bring them on too. I just can’t wait.”
