Elite Motorsport’s Jesse Phillips claimed his maiden GB4 victory in a dramatic, rain-affected second race of the inaugural 2026 GB4 Winter Series at Snetterton. The British driver mastered treacherous conditions to secure victory by 4.613s ahead of teammates Harrison Mackie and John O’Donnell, completing an impressive podium lockout for the reigning Teams’ Champions.
Phillips seized the lead from polesitter George Proudford-Nalder on the opening lap and maintained his advantage despite a Safety Car intervention and subsequent red flag. Meanwhile, Race 1 winner Conor Grant endured a difficult contest, eventually finishing tenth after losing several positions during the closing stages.
Phillips storms into lead as Grant struggles
Proudford-Nalder entered Race 2 from pole position after setting the fastest second-best qualifying lap earlier on Saturday. However, Phillips immediately challenged the Douglas Motorsport driver as the field negotiated the opening lap in challenging wet conditions.
Starting third, Phillips launched an aggressive attack down the inside at Nelson, successfully overtaking Proudford-Nalder to claim the lead.
Meanwhile, Grant endured a difficult start after securing his maiden GB4 victory in Race 1. The Irishman struggled away from second on the grid, dropping to fifth by the opening corner.
His difficulties continued later in the lap when he ran wide at Williams, losing another two positions and falling to seventh.
At the front, Phillips immediately began extending his advantage over Proudford-Nalder, establishing a 1.497s lead by the end of Lap 2.
Multi-car collision triggers Safety Car and red flag
Phillips’ early advantage disappeared when Race Control deployed the Safety Car following a multi-car incident at Williams on Lap 2.
Pace Performance’s Alexander De Benedittis initially ran wide before contact occurred between R Racing’s Chase Fernandez and KMR Sport’s Solenn Amrouche.
Fernandez had started from the pit lane and was attempting to recover positions when the incident unfolded. Both drivers spun following the contact, before Nitrous Competitions ADM Racing’s Archie Pearce collided with the stranded cars.
The incident forced Fernandez, Amrouche and Pearce into retirement, while De Benedittis continued racing.
Although officials initially neutralised the contest under the Safety Car, they subsequently displayed the red flag on Lap 4 to allow marshals to recover the damaged vehicles safely.
The interruption lasted approximately ten minutes before Race Control resumed proceedings behind the Safety Car, with ten minutes remaining on the race clock.
Phillips controls restart as Proudford-Nalder loses positions
With only two racing laps remaining after the Safety Car returned to the pits, Phillips immediately re-established his advantage.
The Elite Motorsport driver accelerated away from the chasing pack, leaving teammate O’Donnell to defend second against the remaining contenders.
Meanwhile, Proudford-Nalder endured a difficult restart, dropping from second to seventh during the first racing lap after the interruption.
His loss of positions promoted O’Donnell and Mackie into podium contention, giving Elite Motorsport an opportunity to secure all three podium places.
However, the Australian began recovering through the field, working his way back towards the leading group.
At the front, Phillips continued extending his advantage and maintained control despite the slippery conditions.
He ultimately crossed the line 4.613s ahead of his nearest challenger, securing his first GB4 victory in just his second championship start. Phillips also recorded the fastest lap of the race with a 2:11.655.
Mackie snatches second from O’Donnell on final lap
Behind Phillips, an intense battle developed between Elite Motorsport teammates Mackie and O’Donnell for second place.
O’Donnell initially appeared set to secure the runner-up position after maintaining his advantage during the restart.
However, Mackie remained close behind and prepared an attack during the final lap.
The Ginetta Junior graduate eventually made his move at Oggies, diving down the inside of O’Donnell to seize second place.
O’Donnell could not respond before the chequered flag, leaving Mackie to finish 4.613s behind Phillips. O’Donnell completed the podium another 2.213s further back.
The result marked an impressive turnaround for Mackie, who started sixth and gained four positions despite the difficult conditions.
Furthermore, Elite Motorsport secured all three podium places, adding another notable achievement to the team’s successful 2026 campaign after claiming consecutive Teams’ Championship titles.
Proudford-Nalder recovers to fourth as Bullard impresses
Despite dropping to seventh during the restart, Proudford-Nalder recovered to finish fourth for Douglas Motorsport, 10.339s behind Phillips.
The Australian’s recovery allowed him to retain valuable championship points after finishing runner-up to Grant in the opening contest.
Meanwhile, Fox Motorsport’s Archie Bullard delivered one of the strongest recovery drives of the race, climbing from 11th on the grid to finish fifth.
The Briton gained six positions, eventually crossing the line 12.592s behind the winner.
Fortec Motorsport’s Qarrar Firhand also made progress, improving from ninth to sixth.
KMR Sport’s Lewis Goff followed in seventh despite losing his front wing during the restart. The reigning Ginetta Junior champion nevertheless completed the race, finishing just 0.299s ahead of Pace Performance’s William Rohan.
Rohan secured eighth place and finished as the highest-classified rookie, continuing his encouraging Winter Series performance.
Iskander charges through field as Grant falls to tenth
Fox Motorsport’s Jasser Iskander produced another notable recovery, climbing seven places from 16th on the grid to finish ninth.
The Saudi Arabian driver navigated the difficult conditions and incidents to secure a top-ten result, finishing just 0.963s behind Rohan.
Meanwhile, Grant recovered from his difficult opening lap to climb back into fourth during the closing stages.
However, the Race 1 winner lost six positions during the final sector of the last lap, dropping to tenth.
Consequently, Grant crossed the line 19.546s behind Phillips, collecting considerably fewer championship points than his earlier victory had provided.
Further down the order, Fox Motorsport’s Rob Crawford finished 11th ahead of De Benedittis, who recovered from the opening incident to secure 12th.
Jamie Leverton finished 13th for Nitrous Competitions ADM Racing, while Max Yuill, Gianna Pascoal and Toby Campbell completed the classified finishers.
2026 GB4 Winter Series Snetterton Race 2 results — provisional
- Jesse Phillips — Elite Motorsport — 8 laps
- Harrison Mackie — Elite Motorsport — +4.613s
- John O’Donnell — Elite Motorsport — +6.826s
- George Proudford-Nalder — Douglas Motorsport — +10.339s
- Archie Bullard — Fox Motorsport — +12.592s
- Qarrar Firhand — Fortec Motorsport — +15.632s
- Lewis Goff — KMR Sport — +16.678s
- William Rohan — Pace Performance — +16.977s
- Jasser Iskander — Fox Motorsport — +17.940s
- Conor Grant — Douglas Motorsport — +19.546s
- Rob Crawford — Fox Motorsport — +23.323s
- Alexander De Benedittis — Pace Performance — +24.093s
- Jamie Leverton — Nitrous Competitions ADM Racing — +28.065s
- Max Yuill — Fortec Motorsport — +38.120s
- Gianna Pascoal — Pace Performance — +40.567s
- Toby Campbell — KMR Sport — +43.857s
Did not finish:
- Solenn Amrouche — KMR Sport — 1 lap
- Archie Pearce — Nitrous Competitions ADM Racing — 1 lap
- Chase Fernandez — R Racing — 1 lap
Fastest lap: Jesse Phillips — Elite Motorsport — 2:11.655
Phillips takes championship advantage into final day
Phillips’ maiden victory concludes an impressive opening day for the Elite Motorsport driver, who also finished third in Race 1.
His results place him at the top of the provisional Winter Series standings with 59 points, nine ahead of Proudford-Nalder, who follows on 50.
Meanwhile, Mackie and Grant sit level on 46 points after contrasting performances across Saturday’s races, while O’Donnell follows closely with 45.
With another 70 points available across Sunday’s two contests, the championship remains open heading into the final day.
The field will return to Snetterton on Sunday, 25 October, for another qualifying session at 09:40 local time. Race 3 will follow at 11:50, before the fourth and final contest begins at 14:50.
The inaugural GB4 Winter Champion will emerge following the final race, with Phillips aiming to maintain his advantage after a memorable first day of competition.
