Lily-May Watkins has made a clear step forward at the start of her second GB4 Championship season, with the KMR Sport driver already showing stronger pace and greater confidence than she did during her rookie campaign.
The British racer has moved from the back of the field into the competitive midfield in only her second year of car racing. Despite the larger and more competitive 2026 grid, Watkins has already scored points three times and has shown signs of significant progress.
However, while her speed has improved, Watkins believes the results have not yet fully reflected her potential. After a promising start to the season, a more difficult Oulton Park weekend left her looking ahead to Donington Park, where she hopes to convert her pace into stronger points finishes.
Watkins sees more potential after improved start
Watkins has already bettered several of her high points from 2025, but she remains focused on extracting more from the opening phase of the season.
“This season hasn’t panned out the way I expected yet,” she admitted to GB4. “But we have the pace, we just need to have the opportunity to show it and get some luck at some point. But it’s only up from here!”
That pace marks an important development for Watkins, who has made a notable jump in performance since her first GB4 campaign. Rather than simply aiming to complete races and gain experience, she now has the speed to fight more regularly in the midfield and challenge for points.
Oulton Park brings a tougher weekend
After a stronger showing at the season opener, Oulton Park proved more difficult for Watkins. The step into the midfield has brought new challenges, especially as she now spends more time racing in tightly packed groups. While that represents progress, it also increases the risk of being caught in incidents.
“I got caught in a couple of incidents that weren’t my fault, but it is what it is and we move forward for the next one.
“In the first race, I just got caught out. The guy in front slowed down a lot, more than any of us expected. The guy in front locked up and I had less time to react, so I went straight into the back of him,” she noted.
The contact compromised her weekend, but Watkins continued to battle through the remaining races.
Watkins recovers despite Race 3 damage
The final race at Oulton Park brought another incident, this time as several cars fought for position into the chicane.
“And then in race three, three people were going side by side into the chicane and I had nowhere to go and they ended up chopping across my front, and bent my track rod. Luckily the team managed to fix it under red flag and I got back out. I tried to manage a result with the damage I still had, and it was good to finish that race still.”
Although the damage limited what she could achieve, Watkins still took value from reaching the finish. In a season where she aims to build momentum, completing races and gathering more experience in race traffic remain important parts of her development.
Preparation helps unlock stronger pace
Watkins credits much of her improvement to stronger preparation before the 2026 season. After confirming her GB4 plans early, she had more time to work with KMR Sport, prepare mentally and build confidence before the campaign began.
“I’ve had a lot longer to prepare this season compared to last season, and also mentally I just feel like I’m in a lot better position than I was last year, just believing in myself a bit more.”
That preparation has shown in her improved pace. With more belief and a clearer understanding of the championship, Watkins has started to move closer to where she expects to be.
Donington Park offers next opportunity
Watkins will now turn her attention to Donington Park, which hosts the next GB4 Championship event at the end of June.
The circuit has already given her confidence this year. During pre-season testing at Donington, Watkins regularly ran inside the top six or seven, giving her reason to believe she can return to the points and climb the standings.
“I’m very excited for Donington, it’s one of my best tracks. We were running in the top-six or seven for the majority of the test days, so hopefully we can be back in there, get some points and get back to where we should be in the championship.”
After a difficult Oulton Park event, Donington gives Watkins a chance to reset. Her pace has improved, her confidence has grown, and her early points finishes have shown that she has made real progress in her second GB4 season.
