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26 February 2025 Barwell reveals twin entries going for repeat British GT glory

Barwell Motorsport will defend its British GT championships on two fronts this season, with the squad targeting back-to-back Teams’ titles and its class-leading amateur racers Alex Martin and Rob Collard again ready to vie for the Drivers’ Championship.

 

Barwell will again field twin Lamborghini Huracan GT3 EVO2s for the full British GT Championship, with each car featuring a formidable driving crew.

 

Having finished as championship runners-up last term, Alex Martin and Sandy Mitchell will return aboard the #78 Huracan – supported by Dextra Group PLC, RHM Forestry Ltd and Dama Fortuna Tequila. While Mitchell will spearhead the attack by competing alongside Martin for four rounds, Finnish ace Patrick Kujala will step into the team for three events.

 

Aboard the defending #1 car – backed by Collard Group, J&S Accessories and Lady Luck Irish Whiskey – reigning champion Rob Collard will be paired with rising star Hugo Cook, who switches from Audi to Lamborghini machinery this year.

 

Last season both Martin and Collard proved the class of the field, with the pair sharing five race wins and six pole positions between them from the nine rounds.

 

Martin was one of British GT’s standout performers during 2024, adapting swiftly to the Huracan GT3 EVO2 to emerge as a title contender. He and Mitchell claimed more race wins than any other pairing across the season thanks to wins at Oulton Park, Donington Park and Snetterton. Having missed out on the overall title by just five points, the former British Touring Car racer returns aiming to go one better this season.

Sandy Mitchell needs little introduction, having been a mainstay of Barwell’s British GT programmes since 2020. The Scotsman became GT3 champion in 2020 (alongside Rob Collard) and has celebrated a total of eight outright British GT3 wins thus far. The Lamborghini Squadra Corse factory star will again mix his domestic racing with European and international programmes. Mitchell will be unavailable for the races at Silverstone, Spa-Francorchamps and Brands Hatch.

 

In his place another Barwell mainstay will step up alongside Martin, with Patrick Kujala making his British GT return. The Finnish ace first raced for Barwell back in 2017 and has since gone on to score multiple GT World Challenge Europe accolades, including being a class winner in the 2018 CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa. This will be Kujala’s first British GT appearance since he finished second in the 2020 championship at the wheel of a RAM Racing Mercedes-AMG.

 

Reigning champion Rob Collard will be aiming for a piece of history aboard the newly renumbered #1 entry. After winning his second British GT title alongside son Ricky in 2024, Rob returns aiming to become the first amateur driver to record a hat-trick of GT3 crowns – something that would move him clear of fellow two-time winners Andrew Howard and Leo Machitski in the record books. A third success would put Collard one behind Jonny Adam, the championship’s all-time most decorated driver. It would also continue Collard’s 100% success rate of winning the British GT title in every season he has entered.

 

Hugo Cook is gearing up for his second British GT campaign. He enjoyed an impressive 2024 season during which he competed in three different GT3 categories. After winning the 2023 GT Cup title in dominant fashion, Cook took his racing to the next level in 2024 mixing a full season of British GT with being a race winner in the British Endurance Championship and making the step up to GT World Challenge Europe. Cook also gained valuable experience of the Huracan GT3 EVO2 from two European outings with GRT - Grasser Racing team.

 

Last season Barwell Motorsport tore up the British GT history books, with its most dominant campaign ever bringing a haul of new records; including an all-time high Teams’ Championship score, the first-ever Drivers’ Championship one-two of the GT3 era and a seventh British GT3 Teams’ title. All eyes are now on continuing this success and pushing for glory on all fronts.

 

Alex Martin says: “Having come so close to winning the championship in my first season last year, I have real confidence coming into this season that we have all the ingredients to get the job done this time around. I got on so well with the entire Barwell team last year, and I loved driving the car, so I was really keen to get back in the seat for this season. A huge thank you Dextra Group Plc, commercial lighting specialists. Without them I most likely wouldn’t be on the grid. Despite the bad luck we had last year, we still would have won the title if things had worked out differently in the finale at Brands Hatch. We won more races than anybody else last season and could have had a further two had it not been for a puncture and a penalty. Coming back with an extra year of experience will only help. Last year I was learning a lot – I hadn't raced the British tracks for five years and the Huracan GT3 was all new to me, so the extra experience I have now should put us in a strong position. It shouldn’t be an issue sharing the car with both Sandy and Patrick. Patrick’s a very capable driver who has great experience, and Sandy has been superb since we started working together. My one regret is Sandy won’t be able to win the title, but that won’t stop us from pushing as one to make it happen. I hope that if we can win it this year, both drivers can join me in collecting the trophy.”

 

Sandy Mitchell says: “I’m really happy to be back in British GT this year with Barwell and Alex. We enjoyed such an amazing season last year, and the aim is definitely to try and go one better this season and take the title. Alex enjoyed a real breakout season last year, and I think he surprised a fair few people. Considering he’d not raced in the UK for a while and was new to the Lamborghini he marked himself out as one of the strongest Am drivers on the grid, capable of going toe-to-toe with anyone. I have no doubt we can start this year as we finished the last and really push on for the championship. It’s a shame not to be able to do the full schedule, but Patrick is a driver I know very well from our GT World Challenge programmes and he’s more than capable of stepping in and getting the job done.”

 

Patrick Kujala says: “I’m very happy to drive with Barwell again this year. I enjoyed racing in British GT back in 2020 and I am sure we can deliver a good performance this year. It will be my first time sharing a car with Alex, but I have seen from last year that he is a very strong driver. I will try the best I can to help both Alex and Barwell get the championships.”

 

Rob Collard says: “This year will be a special one as it’ll be the first time I’ve ever had the chance to defend the British GT title, and having the opportunity to maybe make a bit of history as the first Am driver to win three championships is definitely exciting. Obviously, I’d have loved to come back alongside Ricky, but that wasn’t possible for this year and I’m really looking forward to working with Hugo. He’s a young up-and-coming driver with huge promise, and I hope I can use my experience to teach him a few things while learning from him at the same time. I never believe you can know everything, so having a new team-mate can be a real positive as you can always pick up new approaches, techniques and skills. I think we’ll make a great team together. I’m also delighted about having the consistency of being back with Barwell. The team is like a second family for me, and the Lamborghini is always sensational to drive. Hopefully we can be right up there again fighting for the championship.”

 

Hugo Cook says: “I’m massively excited for this year, and I’m fully aware of what an opportunity this is; joining the best team on the grid, in the number one car alongside the reigning champion. It definitely brings some pressure, but that’s also how you prove yourself, by going into situations like this and doing the job. I think Rob and I will form a great partnership this year – he’s a brilliant driver and goes about his racing is a quite laid-back way, which is similar to how I operate, so I have no doubt we’ll gel quickly. It will also be great to work with drivers like Sandy and Patrick in the same team. They have so much experience and offer a great chance for me to gauge my own performance, develop and improve as the season goes on. I learned a lot from my first season in British GT and this year is about putting all of those lessons into practice and going for the title, which undoubtedly has to be the aim for us.”

 

Barwell Motorsport team principal Mark Lemmer adds: “The 2024 season was simply incredible for us as a team, but equally that puts the pressure on us to come back and perform again this season. Winning in a championship as tight as British GT is never easy, and nothing can be taken for granted, but I am certain that we have the team and drivers in place to compete at the front once again.

 

“In Rob and Alex we have two stand-out amateur drivers who were key to our success last year and who are keen to push each other on. With Sandy and Hugo we have two very fast pros. Hugo is still early into his GT3 career but has incredible potential. Sandy has a wealth of experience and knowledge, and I have no doubt Hugo will be keen to tap into that to benefit his own performance. Then to have a driver as capable as Patrick ready to deputise, it should be seamless. I have every confidence that we can be up there fighting for both championships again this year.”

 

The 2025 British GT season begins with the championship’s Media Day tests at Silverstone on March 21, ahead of the opening two-hour race of the season at Donington Park on April 5/6.

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