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As the 2026 motorsport season draws to a close, I’ve finally had a chance to reflect on what has been an extraordinary year – both personally behind the wheel – and professionally with the team at Road and Race.

After winning the Porsche Sprint Challenge GB championship in 2025, I knew stepping up to British GT this year would be a significant challenge. But even with everything we’ve faced, I couldn’t be prouder of what we’ve achieved.

Six podiums in six rounds. A 100% finishing record. And second place in the British GT4 Pro-Am Championship – not bad for a season that very nearly came to an abrupt end at Donington Park!

Taking on the best in British GT

This year, I’ve had the pleasure of racing alongside Ian Duggan with Toro Verde GT, sharing our Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport in the British GT Championship.

We were the only team fielding a Porsche in the GT4 category, competing against an incredibly strong grid of Aston Martins, McLarens, BMWs and Ginettas.

The standard of competition was exceptional, with drivers including Le Mans winners Darren Turner and Jonny Adam, and four-time British Touring Car Champion, Colin Turkington.

These are some seriously accomplished drivers, so to finish second in the Pro-Am championship, with six podium finishes across six rounds and without a single retirement, is something we’re immensely proud of.

Of course, we’d have loved to have won the championship… …but motorsport has a habit of reminding you that success isn’t simply about being the quickest on the day. It’s about preparation, reliability, consistency and, above all, teamwork.

And there’s no better example of that than what happened at Donington Park.

Donington Park: from disaster to the podium

At around midday on Saturday, during free practice and just hours before qualifying, our Porsche suffered a catastrophic engine failure, suspected to have been caused by an oil pump problem.

At that point, it looked as though our weekend was over.

But Jules Westwood, Toro Verde’s Team Principal, and the team weren’t prepared to give up.

Jules set off for Croft to collect a damaged Cayman that was beyond repair for racing that weekend. Meanwhile, we borrowed a trailer, loaded our car and headed to Road and Race’s Cheshire workshop in Lower Stretton.

With our engine removed, we waited for Jules to return with the donor car. Once he arrived, we removed its engine and began the job of fitting it into ours.

What followed was an extraordinary overnight effort.

I eventually made it back to the hotel at 3.45am, while the team worked through the night to get the car back to Donington for 6am.

They still had to reset the suspension geometry and get the car through eligibility and safety scrutineering before the race at 2pm. Against all the odds, we made the grid.

Starting from the very back, we fought our way through the field to secure another Pro-Am podium, with me recording the quickest stint of the race.

The team’s incredible determination was recognised by British GT, who awarded Toro Verde GT Team of the Weekend for the effort.

It was probably one of the most stressful and expensive weekends of my racing career, but also one of the most rewarding.

And it demonstrated something I believe passionately in: when you’ve got the right people, the right skills and the determination to succeed, it’s remarkable what you can achieve.

Two wins in a piece of Formula 1 history

Alongside British GT, I’ve also been fortunate enough to race something rather special this year: an ex-John Watson McLaren MP4/1B from 1982.

Getting behind the wheel of a genuine Formula 1 car from that era is an incredible privilege, and competing in one is even better.

Across three races at Brands Hatch and Estoril, I managed two victories and a second-place finish.

The highlight was undoubtedly Estoril, where I started from the back of the grid and fought my way through to take the win.

It’s difficult to describe the feeling of racing a car with that much history, let alone winning in it.

Those are experiences I’ll never take for granted.

Road and Race: keeping Porsche’s Carrera Cup cars on the grid

While I’ve been busy racing, our team at Road and Race has been equally busy supporting Porsche Cars Great Britain and its motorsport championships.

We’ve continued our technical support for the Porsche Carrera Cup GB championship, with two Road and Race technicians attending every race meeting.

Their job is to help keep the cars racing, undertaking repairs at the circuit wherever possible, often against extremely tight deadlines.

So far this season, we’ve repaired 21 Porsche Carrera Cup and Cayman Sprint Challenge cars, including several that have needed urgent trackside attention to get them back onto the grid.

These aren’t ordinary road cars, and repairing them demands specialist knowledge, precision and an understanding of the stresses involved in competitive motorsport.

It’s work I’m particularly proud of because it brings together the two sides of Road and Race: our motorsport heritage and our expertise in manufacturer-approved Porsche repairs.

Whether we’re repairing a customer’s road car at one of our workshops or getting a racing car back on track before the next race, the philosophy is exactly the same: do the job properly, to the highest possible standard, without cutting corners.

A huge thank you

None of this would have been possible without the support of some fantastic people.

Firstly, a huge thank you to Ian Duggan. He’s been a brilliant teammate throughout the year, and sharing this journey with him has made the whole experience even more rewarding.

To Jules Westwood and everyone at Toro Verde GT, thank you for your incredible commitment, professionalism and sheer determination. Donington Park was just one example of the extraordinary lengths you’ve gone to this season.

I’m also extremely grateful to our sponsors, Glasurit, Porsche Centre Bolton, Porsche Centre Preston and Manor Car Hire for their generous support and belief in what we’re trying to achieve.

Motorsport is an expensive business, and without companies willing to get behind drivers and teams, competing at this level simply wouldn’t be possible.

And finally, thank you to everyone at Road and Race, particularly those who have supported the racing programme while continuing to deliver the exceptional standards our customers expect across our Manchester and Cheshire sites.

I’m incredibly proud of what we’ve achieved together.

Thank you to everyone who’s been part of the journey so far.

Tom