Pace Performance will expand into the GB3 Championship for the 2027 season as the Shropshire-based outfit continues its rapid progression through the British single-seater ladder.
The team, led by Sean Byrne, has already acquired its first two Tatuus MSV GB3-025 cars and plans to run a full three-car line-up during its debut campaign. The move will take Pace Performance into European single-seater competition for the first time after establishing itself as a multiple race winner in GB4.
Pace only made its single-seater debut in 2025, but significant progress during its second GB4 campaign has strengthened the foundations for another step forward. Alongside its single-seater programme, the team also continues to compete in the Ginetta Junior Championship, giving it a presence across multiple stages of the junior racing pathway.
Pace Performance targets next step after GB4 progress
The move into GB3 follows a breakthrough second season in GB4, where Pace Performance has developed into a regular contender near the front of the field.
Josh McLean has led that progress with four victories during the 2026 campaign. After spending his first full single-seater season learning the category in 2025, McLean returned with greater experience and converted that development into repeated trips to the top step of the podium.
However, the improvement has extended throughout the three-car operation. Torrin Byrne has collected three podium finishes during his first season in single-seaters, giving Pace another consistent source of strong results as the campaign has progressed.
John O’Donnell has also moved forward throughout the year. His development culminated in a breakthrough podium at Donington Park, adding another significant result to a season in which Pace has increasingly placed all three cars towards the competitive end of the field.
Together, those results have pushed the team towards the top of the GB4 teams’ standings ahead of the final three races at Brands Hatch.
Byrne sees GB3 move as ‘a natural step’
With that progress providing a stronger technical and sporting base, Pace Performance will now take on a considerably larger challenge in 2027.
GB3 represents another level in both performance and competition, while its calendar gives teams and drivers experience at circuits across the UK and mainland Europe. For Pace, the expansion therefore marks more than the addition of another championship; it takes the organisation into a wider European single-seater environment for the first time.
Team Principal Sean Byrne believes the timing reflects how quickly the operation has developed since entering GB4.
“Joining the GB3 Championship at this stage feels like a natural step for Pace Performance. The progress we have made over recent seasons in GB4 gives us immense confidence, and there is a lot more to come as we continue to invest and develop as a team. GB3 is an exciting opportunity for Pace and we look forward to joining the grid with a three-car line up.”
The team has already started putting the equipment in place for that expansion. Having acquired two Tatuus MSV GB3-025 cars, Pace intends to add a third before its debut campaign and compete at the maximum three-car capacity.
Testing programme to begin GB3 preparations
Rather than waiting until the end of its current racing commitments to begin the transition, Pace Performance plans to start its GB3 preparations shortly.
The team will undertake a testing programme at circuits across the UK as it begins learning the Tatuus MSV GB3-025 and adapting its operation to the demands of the faster category. That running will give Pace an opportunity to build technical knowledge before its first race weekend while also establishing the working processes required for a three-car programme.
The step represents another rapid expansion for an outfit that only entered single-seater competition last year. Pace initially used GB4 to establish itself in formula racing, but its improving results throughout 2026 have accelerated plans to progress further up the ladder.
Its continued involvement in Ginetta Junior also gives the team a broader development structure. Harry Bartle currently sits fourth in the drivers’ standings with the Ginetta Junior finale also approaching at Brands Hatch, while Pace continues to field multiple cars in the championship.
Pace builds wider junior single-seater pathway
By adding GB3 to its existing programmes, Pace Performance will create a clearer progression route within its own operation.
Young drivers can already gain experience with the team in Ginetta Junior before moving into entry-level single-seaters through GB4. From 2027, the addition of GB3 will give Pace another step for drivers seeking to continue their development without necessarily changing teams.
However, the immediate focus remains on completing its 2026 campaigns before turning fully towards the new challenge.
Pace heads into the final GB4 event at Brands Hatch after a season that has transformed its position within the championship. Four victories for McLean, three podiums for Byrne and O’Donnell’s own breakthrough result have shown how far the operation has progressed since its first season in single-seaters.
Now, with two GB3 cars already secured and preparations for testing about to begin, Pace Performance will use that momentum to prepare for its biggest expansion yet when it joins the GB3 grid with three cars in 2027.
