13/10/26

ROUND 8: BRANDS HATCH

Revie Lake ended his debut British GT Championship season with another impressive display of pace at Brands Hatch, claiming his first GT4 fastest lap and securing third place in the Silver category alongside teammate Blake Angliss.

Revie Lake Claims First British GT Fastest Lap in Dramatic Brands Hatch Season Finale

The 16-year-old arrived at the final round of the season following his historic victory at Donington Park, where he became the youngest pole sitter and second-youngest race winner in British GT history.

With momentum firmly on their side, the Paddock Motorsport pairing looked set for another competitive weekend in the #84 McLaren Artura GT4. However, success penalties, interrupted qualifying sessions and a costly drive-through penalty would make the final race far from straightforward.

Straight Into the Action

With limited preparation time around the demanding Brands Hatch Grand Prix circuit, the pair had to find their rhythm quickly.

Saturday morning's opening free practice saw the #84 McLaren top the GT4 timesheets with a 1:31.435, narrowly ahead of the Ginetta of Luke Shaw and Jack Mitchell by just 0.009 seconds.

The pace continued into pre-qualifying, where Lake and Angliss improved to a 1:31.145, once again finishing fastest in GT4.

The pair had topped both practice sessions and established themselves as serious contenders for the final race of the season.

A Front-Row Start Despite Qualifying Disruptions

Qualifying brought a different challenge, with red flags interrupting the sessions and reducing opportunities for clean laps.

Despite the disruptions, Lake delivered a 1:30.978 in the opening GT4 qualifying session, securing second position behind the Optimum Motorsport McLaren.

Angliss followed with an equally competitive performance in the second session, recording a 1:30.534 to finish third, just 0.015 seconds behind the fastest lap.

Their combined time of 3:01.512 secured second place on the GT4 grid.

It was another impressive qualifying result for the young pairing, particularly given their lack of Friday testing and the interruptions throughout the session.

After their breakthrough victory at Donington Park, Lake and Angliss had once again put themselves in a position to fight at the front.

A Race Complicated by Penalties

Sunday's two-hour season finale presented a considerable challenge before the lights had even gone out.

Following their victory at Donington Park, the #84 McLaren carried a 45-second success penalty, adding significant time to its mandatory pit stop and making another victory a much tougher prospect.

Starting second in GT4, Lake and Angliss faced the difficult task of overcoming that additional time while competing against a closely matched field.

Unfortunately, their race was further complicated by an infringement involving a driver's helmet visor during a pit stop, resulting in a drive-through penalty.

The combination of the success penalty and the additional drive-through cost the team valuable time, pushing the #84 McLaren away from the leading positions despite its competitive pace.

But even with the setbacks, Lake and Angliss continued to fight.

After 74 laps of the Brands Hatch Grand Prix circuit, they brought the McLaren home fifth in GT4, securing third place in the Silver category.

It was a frustrating result given the speed they had demonstrated throughout the weekend, but there was still one important achievement to celebrate.

A First Fastest Lap for Revie

Among the challenges of Sunday's race came another milestone in Lake's rapidly developing career.

The teenager recorded his first fastest lap in the British GT Championship, demonstrating his outright speed against some of the category's strongest competitors.

The achievement was particularly significant as it denied Jack Mitchell a clean sweep of fastest laps, adding another notable result to Lake's debut GT4 campaign.

Having already made British GT history at Donington Park, Lake could now add a fastest race lap to his growing list of achievements.

It was further evidence that, even when circumstances prevented a podium finish, he had the pace to compete with the very best in the category.

A Remarkable First Season

Brands Hatch brought to a close a British GT season that has been anything but predictable for Revie Lake.

Only a year earlier, he had been competing in Ginetta Junior, making his first steps into real-world circuit racing after developing his skills through years of sim racing.

His move into British GT represented an enormous challenge.

There were early setbacks at Silverstone, difficult races at Oulton Park, technical problems and an unexpected team change midway through the championship.

But there were also moments that showed exactly what the young driver was capable of.

At Spa-Francorchamps, Lake demonstrated his adaptability by topping GT4 practice. At Snetterton, he delivered competitive qualifying performances, before the breakthrough finally arrived at Donington Park.

There, he secured his first British GT victory and became the youngest pole sitter in the championship's history.

Brands Hatch provided one final chapter to that story.

Two practice sessions topped, a front-row qualifying performance, a first fastest race lap and third place in the Silver category.

The final finishing position may not have reflected the potential shown throughout the weekend, but the underlying pace was undeniable.

Looking Ahead

For Lake, the 2026 British GT Championship has been a season of rapid development, significant challenges and remarkable achievements.

From navigating his first endurance race at Silverstone to fighting for victories against experienced GT competitors, the 16-year-old has made substantial progress in a remarkably short period.

Brands Hatch was perhaps a fitting conclusion.

A weekend filled with promise, interrupted by circumstances that made a strong result difficult, but ultimately providing another milestone in his young career.

His first British GT season may now be complete, but with a race victory, a historic pole position and a fastest lap already to his name, Lake has laid strong foundations for whatever comes next.