2026 | GB4 | Snetterton | Race 1 | O’Grady capitalises on Green misfortune to claim second win

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Alex O’Grady claimed his second 2026 GB4 Championship victory of the 2026 season after title rival Fred Green suffered heartbreak while leading Race 1 at Snetterton.

The KMR Sport driver ran second throughout the opening stages before polesitter Green suddenly slowed on Lap 7 and retired. O’Grady inherited the lead and controlled the remaining four laps to beat Pace Performance’s Torrin Byrne, while Douglas Motorsport’s Dayton Coulthard completed the podium. The result extended O’Grady’s championship advantage from 25 to 60 points.

Green leads from pole

Green made the most of his pole position and led the field into Riches, with O’Grady settling into second. Behind them, Byrne immediately made progress from fifth on the grid, passing Coulthard on the run towards the opening corner before moving alongside Conor Grant.

Byrne then squeezed down the inside of Grant on the approach to Agostini to take third, completing an aggressive opening lap that brought him firmly into podium contention. Coulthard consequently dropped from third to fifth during the opening exchanges but remained close to the leading group.

At the front, Green initially controlled proceedings from O’Grady while Byrne quickly established himself in third.

Grant drops back after Coulthard battle

Coulthard began recovering the ground he lost at the start and challenged teammate Grant for fourth as they began Lap 2. However, their battle resulted in Grant running off the circuit at Riches and collecting vegetation.

Grant dropped to the rear of the field before heading into the pits to have the debris removed from his car. The unscheduled stop effectively ended his hopes of challenging near the front, and he eventually finished 26th.

Meanwhile, Coulthard returned his attention to the cars ahead as the leading group began to compress.

Green suffers heartbreak while leading

By Lap 4, less than six tenths covered Green, O’Grady and Byrne at the front, while Coulthard continued closing from fourth. Despite the pressure, Green began edging away and carried an advantage of around three-quarters of a second as he started Lap 7.

However, the Elite Motorsport driver suddenly slowed on the approach to Agostini, allowing O’Grady, Byrne and the chasing pack to stream past. Green returned to the pits at the end of the lap and retired after completing six laps.

The retirement denied Green the opportunity to claim his first victory since Oulton Park and handed his chief championship rival a significant opportunity to strengthen his points advantage.

O’Grady converts opportunity into second win

O’Grady immediately took control after inheriting the lead and managed the remaining laps without giving Byrne an opportunity to challenge. The Irishman gradually extended his advantage and crossed the line 1.687s clear to secure his second victory of the season.

The result also marked O’Grady’s first GB4 victory away from Oulton Park. More significantly, Green’s retirement allowed the KMR Sport driver to turn his 25-point pre-event championship advantage into a 60-point lead.

Byrne secured second after his strong opening lap, while Coulthard completed his recovery from a difficult start to take third. The result gave the Douglas Motorsport driver his fifth podium of the season.

Ingram Hill takes fourth as Cegielski leads second group

Thomas Ingram Hill finished fourth for Fortec Motorsports, crossing the line less than one second behind Coulthard. Teammate Franciszek Cegielski followed in fifth but finished more than seven seconds further back as a gap developed between the leading quartet and the rest of the field.

Emmilio Valentino Del Grosso took sixth for Elite Motorsport, just 0.194s behind Cegielski. John O’Donnell continued his strong Snetterton weekend by converting his best GB4 Qualifying performance into seventh, his highest race finish in the championship.

Pace Performance teammate Josh McLean followed in eighth, while Hillspeed duo Connor Willis and Enzo Hallman completed the top 10. Jordyn Martin finished 11th ahead of Archie Davies, while Lily-May Watkins took 13th for KMR Sport.