The McLaren Artura GT4 has powered the British GT Championship Drivers’ title for the second year in succession with a win in the season finale at Donington Park on October 5 for Optimum Motorsport drivers Jack Brown and Marc Warren.
Despite starting fifth on the grid, with their closest title challengers second, Brown and Warren made good progress in the two-hour race, moving up to second place during the pitstops. A rain shower made conditions treacherous in the second hour, but the second Optimum Motorsport Artura GT4 of Harry George and Luca Hopkinson made the most of the damp track to battle with their team-mates’ rivals for the final podium position.
With fewer than ten minutes remaining and with the track drying, Brown took the race lead to claim the championship in winning style, and on the run to the chequered flag George and Hopkinson prevailed in their bid to secure third place and the Silver class title. The combined efforts of both Artura GT4 cars also gave Optimum Motorsport the GT4 Teams’ Championship for a clean sweep. With Brown successfully retaining his 2024 British GT title, he becomes the first driver to win two championships in the GT4 category.
The Artura GT4 has proven to be the class of the British GT field since its debut in 2023, making the most of the lightweight carbon fibre architecture and compact V6 engine it shares with the road car to win 14 races – more than half of the 27 rounds it has contested. Brown and the Optimum team narrowly missed out on the GT4 Drivers’ Championship in 2023, before claiming the 2024 title, which it has now successfully retained.
The weekend included further celebrations as the McLaren Trophy Europe season ended at the Paul Ricard circuit in southern France. Brown’s former team-mate and fellow 2024 British GT champion Zac Meakin also had a successful weekend, winning the final race of the year with Harry Burgoyne in the SMC Motorsport-run Artura Trophy. However, victory in race one of the weekend gave Greystone GT’s Artura Trophy drivers Michael O’Brien and Jayden Kelly the 2025 championship.
“It’s fantastic to see Optimum Motorsport claim a second British GT Drivers’ Championship and the GT4 Teams’ title with their Artura GT4 and my congratulations to the team and drivers Marc Warren and Jack Brown, who has, with Optimum, been the class of the GT4 field for the last three years. Well done, too, to Harry George and Luca Hopkinson for their Silver class title.
The Artura has proven to be hugely competitive in global GT racing but we are especially proud to have won our home championship for the second year in succession as well as more than half of the races it has contested.
My congratulations also to Michael O’Brien and Jayden Kelly for winning the 2025 McLaren Trophy Europe following a fantastic weekend of sporting achievements for McLaren Artura drivers.”
Rob Bell, Sporting Director – Motorsport, McLaren Automotive