Alex O’Grady described an “amazing” feeling after keeping his composure through a nerve-wracking second race at Brands Hatch to secure the 2026 GB4 Drivers’ Championship for KMR Sport.
The Irish driver entered the penultimate race of the season knowing a podium would guarantee the title regardless of what championship rival Fred Green achieved. Starting third, O’Grady immediately improved his position by passing Thomas Ingram Hill into Paddock Hill Bend on the opening lap before controlling his race from second.
Green disappeared up the road to complete a second victory of the Brands Hatch weekend, but O’Grady did not need to chase him. Second was comfortably enough to end the championship contest with one race remaining and deliver O’Grady his first GB4 title after two seasons with KMR Sport.
O’Grady manages the pressure
O’Grady had arrived at Brands Hatch in a commanding championship position, holding a 49-point advantage over Green with five drivers still mathematically in contention. However, Green ensured the title leader could not relax by taking both poles before winning Race 1.
O’Grady responded to Green’s opening victory with second, having passed Ingram Hill at the start. That limited Green’s championship gain to six points and left the KMR Sport driver 43 points clear heading into Race 2.
The calculation consequently became considerably simpler. O’Grady needed only a top-three finish to become champion regardless of Green’s result, and he started from exactly that position. However, knowing what he needed to achieve created its own pressure once the race began.
“I feel amazing!” he said to GB4 afterwards. “It was such a difficult race, just always thinking about what happens if I drop it around the back or something. And with the oil on the track I think on lap two, I dipped a wheel onto the grass on the exit and Tom nearly hit the back of me.
“It was really nerve-wracking that whole race, but I settled into it and kept it calm and I wasn’t too worried about Fred [Green] driving away, I mean he was just going for it. I just drove around and could see the time going down and I was hoping that nothing would break. We brought it home so a massive thanks to the whole team.
The moment O’Grady highlighted came early enough to remind him how quickly the championship situation could change. However, he recovered from the scare and settled into second, while Ingram Hill remained behind in third.
No need to chase Green
Green had done everything within his control to keep the championship alive. After securing a double pole in Qualifying, the Elite Motorsport driver won Race 1 and entered the second contest needing another strong result alongside a setback for O’Grady.
Instead, the decisive moment once again came at the start. O’Grady launched past Ingram Hill into Paddock Hill Bend, immediately moving from the minimum position required to win the title into second. Green subsequently built a comfortable advantage and eventually won by 5.163s, but O’Grady understood that following his rival offered no championship benefit.
Rather than taking unnecessary risks in an attempt to close the gap, O’Grady focused on maintaining second and bringing the KMR Sport car to the finish. Ingram Hill remained behind but could not mount a sustained challenge, allowing O’Grady to complete the 13-lap race in the position he needed.
That controlled approach reflected the advantage O’Grady had built throughout the season. His consistency meant he arrived at Brands Hatch without needing to beat Green directly, and even after his rival delivered a near-perfect conventional-grid weekend, second place in both races proved sufficient to protect the championship lead.
Two seasons with KMR Sport culminate in title
The championship carried particular significance for O’Grady because of his relationship with KMR Sport. He has spent both of his GB4 seasons with the Gloucestershire squad, and the 2026 title became KMR Sport’s second Drivers’ Championship in addition to its three Teams’ Championship successes.
O’Grady credited the team with allowing him to reach the position in which he could fight for a championship, describing the support he had received across his two seasons with the squad.
“The last two years have been amazing, and if it wasn’t for them, I wouldn’t be racing. It’s amazing that they’ve got me to this stage.
“Kevin [Mills – Team Owner] gets so emotional when I win, and especially today. It’s a really nice environment in the team. They’re so nice to me and its really family run so it’s lovely, nice to see we’re up here and beating the other teams which have been doing this many more years than us in GB3 and everything so it’s just amazing.”
The result added O’Grady to the GB4 champions roll of honour alongside Nikolas Taylor, Tom Mills, Linus Granfors and Ary Bansal. For KMR Sport, it also continued a run of championship success that has established the team as one of the leading operations in the series.
Family present for championship moment
O’Grady’s title arrived before the final race of the season, allowing him to approach the reverse-grid contest without the championship pressure that had followed him through the opening two races at Brands Hatch.
His family were also present for the decisive weekend. With the championship settled before Race 3, O’Grady could finally turn his attention away from points calculations and towards celebrating the achievement with those who had supported him.
“I’ve got a lot of my family over, my auntie, my mum and my cousins too so I’ll go and celebrate with them after!”
The championship ultimately came through the same consistency that had put O’Grady in control before Brands Hatch. Green produced the stronger outright weekend, taking both poles and winning the first two races, but O’Grady twice made the crucial move on Ingram Hill at the start to finish second and limit the points his rival could recover.
After arriving at the finale 49 points ahead, O’Grady did not need to match Green’s victories. Instead, he managed the championship situation, survived the pressure of the decisive race and delivered the result required to give both himself and KMR Sport another GB4 title.
