Pace Performance’s Josh McLean secured a breakthrough 2026 GB4 victory at Oulton Park, bringing an end to a lengthy wait for silverware and confirming the progress he has made since returning to full-time competition.
The 21-year-old Brit resumed a full racing programme last season and has continued with Pace Performance for a second GB4 campaign. After showing stronger pace through the opening rounds, McLean converted that improvement into a long-awaited victory in Cheshire.
McLean celebrates long-awaited return to the podium
The Oulton Park result carried particular significance for McLean, who had not stood on a podium for more than seven years. His victory also rewarded the development work he and Pace Performance completed during the winter and throughout the opening phase of the season.
“It was amazing, my first time back on the podium, let alone the top step in over seven years!” he acknowledged while speaking to GB4. “It was really nice to finally get back up there and prove that all the hard work we’ve been putting in over the winter, and all the progress we’ve been making over the last two rounds is finally paying off.”
McLean’s success demonstrated the clear step forward he has taken during his second year with the team. It also gave Pace Performance a tangible reward after several promising performances had suggested that a major result was approaching.
Red flag forces McLean to take the lead twice
McLean started the final race from the front row and immediately challenged pole-sitter Dayton Coulthard. He launched strongly and swept around the outside to take the lead, only for officials to stop the race with a red flag on the opening lap.
The stoppage removed the advantage McLean had worked hard to create and forced him to repeat the move at the restart. Although the interruption frustrated him, he quickly refocused and committed fully to another attack into Turn 1.
“During the red flag I was not a happy guy to say the least!” he joked. “But it came out alright in the end, I stayed focused and sent it into turn one.
McLean knew that taking the lead at the restart would give him the best chance of controlling the race. Therefore, he refused to settle for second place and once again attacked decisively.
“There was no way I was coming out of there in second, because if I did it was race over. So I was fully committed.”
After reclaiming first place, McLean held the position and converted his front-row start into his maiden GB4 victory. His composure after the red flag proved just as important as the speed that had put him into contention.
Qualifying remains the next area of focus
Despite ending the weekend with victory, McLean believes that stronger Qualifying performances will allow him to compete for podiums more frequently across the opening two races of each event.
He failed to maximise Qualifying at Oulton Park and therefore started Race 1 further back than he had hoped. That position placed him in the middle of several early battles and restricted his ability to make progress.
“Race one was okay, but we didn’t quite maximise qualifying, so we were a little further back than we’d have liked, and that meant we got caught up in some of the tussles at the start.
Race 2 then ended almost immediately following an incident with Coulthard on the opening lap. As a result, McLean left valuable points on the table before recovering with victory in the final contest.
“Then we had the incident [with Coulthard] in race two which ended the race on lap one. We just need to keep improving on what I’m working on, and fingers crossed if we qualify well we can get results in races one and two as well.”
McLean will now focus on improving his one-lap execution. Better grid positions would reduce his exposure to midfield incidents and give him more opportunities to challenge near the front throughout an entire weekend.
Donington offers another strong opportunity
McLean heads to Donington Park with added confidence after finishing inside the top six during the championship’s media day test in March.
The circuit suited Pace Performance during pre-season, while its fast and flowing layout shares several characteristics with Oulton Park. That gives McLean reason to believe that he can carry his recent form into the next round.
“It was probably our best circuit from pre-season testing and it’s similar to Oulton Park, so fast and flowing.
His Oulton Park victory has also changed the tone of his campaign. Rather than simply searching for a first major result, McLean can now focus on establishing himself as a regular front-running contender.
“I’m really looking forward to it, and we’ll be hoping to build on where we left off last time out.”
McLean will aim to combine his improved race pace with a stronger Qualifying performance at Donington. After ending a seven-year podium wait, he now has an opportunity to turn one breakthrough result into sustained GB4 success.
