UAE-based Xcel Motorsport made a sensational debut in the GB3 Championship in 2025, immediately establishing itself as one of the series’ top teams. Despite being newcomers, the team quickly adapted to the competitive nature of the championship, impressing with both their performances on track and their ability to build a competitive infrastructure off it. Their debut season was a clear statement of intent, achieving podiums and even securing a race win in their first year.
Team Manager Gary Bonner was at the heart of the operation and praised the team’s ability to thrive despite starting from scratch. The challenges they faced in the off-season were immense, but their hard work and determination paid off in the form of strong on-track results. Xcel’s performance was even more remarkable considering the team had limited time to prepare before the season began.
Building from scratch: A remarkable journey
Xcel Motorsport’s debut season was not without its challenges, and Team Manager Gary Bonner explained that the team essentially started from nothing. “A huge amount doesn’t really cover it, back in February we had an empty workshop, we didn’t have a truck, we didn’t have any cars, we didn’t have a single nut or bolt or anything! So we were literally starting from absolute scratch,” he said.
The team’s ability to turn this situation around in such a short period of time is a testament to the dedication and resourcefulness of everyone involved. “I think it was four days after picking up the keys to the workshop we collected the first GB3 car and then six days after that we were out on track at Anglesey, it all came fairly thick and fast,” Bonner continued.
Beyond the usual role of running a race team, Bonner explained that everyone had to take on extra responsibilities to ensure the operation was ready for the season. “Mechanics, engineers and myself, we had to get involved in doing other stuff beyond what we would usually call running a race team, silly stuff like building benches, building other bits, all that sort of stuff, just to get us operational. We all had to dig deep and it was well worth it in the end.”
Team chemistry and early success
Despite these challenges, Xcel Motorsport found that many of their key team members had worked together before, which allowed them to hit the ground running. “We were sort of lucky enough that the majority of us had worked with each other at one time or another, so it wasn’t as if we had to gel as a team. We were already there from the get go,” Bonner said.
The familiarity within the team helped to create a strong and cohesive working environment, making the transition into the season smoother than expected. As the team settled in, their efforts began to show on track, with a podium finish for driver Patrick Heuzenroeder at Silverstone early in the season. This was followed by a stunning win at Zandvoort, which came just a few races later.
“It was massive. To be honest, we weren’t expecting it [the win] to come that early, but we seemed to be in a position where we just turned up at Zandvoort, we didn’t do anything particularly special, we’d had a good analysis of the aero side of things, turned up at Zandvoort and we were strong from the get go,” Bonner recalled.
Patrick Heuzenroeder: The team’s star driver
Patrick Heuzenroeder, in his second year in GB3, was the standout driver for Xcel Motorsport. The Australian’s experience in the championship made him the ideal candidate to lead the team’s charge in 2025. Heuzenroeder quickly adapted to his role, proving to be one of the top drivers in the series. His performances throughout the season were instrumental in Xcel’s impressive debut year, and he finished as the runner-up in the championship standings.
Bonner explained why Heuzenroeder was chosen to spearhead the team’s efforts: “Pat, when we said at the start of the year that he was going to spearhead the team, it was because he was a second-year driver and he’d had a year’s worth of experience of being in a car with a big amount of downforce.”
At one point, Heuzenroeder even led the championship, demonstrating his pace and consistency. “At one point he was leading the championship, and that was genuinely on merit. He did a fantastic job but he got taken out of three races [towards the end of the season] which certainly didn’t help. But Alex did the job, right? He did have the most wins and sewed it up one event before the last round, so all credit to him, you can’t take anything away from him at all,” Bonner added.
Despite the challenges, Bonner believed Heuzenroeder had the potential to take the fight to the final round, had it not been for those unfortunate race incidents. “But it would have been nice to have taken it to the last round having not been taken out of those three races,” he said.
Jack Sherwood: A key contributor
Alongside Heuzenroeder, Jack Sherwood was another important figure in the team’s success. Sherwood, a British F4 graduate, had the experience of racing at several of the GB3 circuits, which gave him a solid foundation heading into the season. However, it was his ability to adapt to the higher downforce of the GB3 car that really impressed Bonner.
“Jack was obviously coming from F4 so he knew some of the circuits, not all, but the biggest thing for him was being able to utilise the downforce,” Bonner explained. Sherwood’s feedback throughout the season was invaluable to the team, as he often provided detailed and accurate information to help improve the car’s setup. “Both drivers got on so so well and certainly the reason why we wanted Jack in the team was because his feedback 99 per cent of the time was absolutely on point, and that continued into this year,” Bonner added.
Even though Sherwood was occasionally a few tenths off Heuzenroeder’s pace, his contribution to the team was crucial. “Even though he might have been a few tenths off Pat during the year at certain stages, and at some points obviously less, and others more, his feedback was always absolutely bang on. So it was really, really important for us to have Jack and he certainly helped us to develop the car, no doubt,” Bonner concluded.
A bright future for Xcel Motorsport
Looking back on their debut year, Bonner expressed satisfaction with what Xcel Motorsport had achieved in 2025. The team’s results exceeded expectations and helped them attract attention in the driver market. With a solid foundation now in place, Xcel is ready to build on their success and challenge for the title in 2026.
“We came into the championship knowing we needed to hit it hard in the first year to be able to be attractive in the driver market. I’d like to think we’ve achieved that and we’ve proved our worth,” Bonner said.
As the team prepares for 2026, Bonner is optimistic about what the future holds: “We’ll have to see what drivers come along and what the line-up looks like, but there’s absolutely no doubt that we’re going to be working even harder over the winter to go one better next year.”
