Photo: Jakob Ebrey Photography

Elite Motorsport and KMR Sport have announced their first drivers for the 2026 GB4 season.

Remaining with KMR for a second year are Alex O’Grady and Lily-May Watkins, who came eighth and 27th respectively in the 2025 standings. O’Grady claimed one win and two other podiums, while Watkins’ best result was a 10th place.

In 2023, O’Grady was a FEED Racing France shootout finalist and despite missing out on a free seat still progressed into French Formula 4 for 2024. He came 12th in the championship, making the podium twice.

Prior to that, he spent several years karting and finished sixth in the 2022 IAME Warriors Final for X30 Junior karts at Le Mans.

“I’m very happy to be staying onboard with KMR Sport for another season in GB4,” said the 16-year-old Irishman.

“We showed very strong pace particularly at the end of the 2025 season, and I’m looking forward to carrying that into 2026. Last season was a year of learning and developing our car, now it’s time to go for the title.”

KMR’s team principal Kevin Mills added: “We’re absolutely thrilled to welcome Alex back to the team for a second season with us in 2026. He proved on numerous occasions this year that he was every bit as quick as the title contenders were, and with a bit more fortune, he could have been much closer to them in the final standings.”

Watkins was a single-seater newcomer this year, having previously karted across the United Kingdom and been a member of Arden’s Young Racing Driver Academy.

“Being my first year in cars the step was quite challenging, but with the team’s help I progressed immensely throughout the season,” said the 18-year-old. “This year we’ve seen progress, but next year I believe we can fight further up the grid and hopefully challenge for the female championship.”

Israeli racer Matan Achituv joins Elite’s 2026 line-up after coming 12th in the F4-spec Skip Barber Formula Race Series in 2024, then sixth in the YACademy Winter Series and 14th in USF Juniors (which use the same car) this year in the USA.

“I’ve already had a couple of strong tests with [Elite] and I am confident we can perform going into the season,” the 15-year-old said of his GB4 switch.

“I’ve felt really comfortable within the team and the environment, and it’s been a great place for me to grow. I’m ready to keep developing and pushing forward into next year. This will be my debut season racing in Europe, so I’m looking forward to the challenge of learning the UK tracks and adapting quickly.”

Team owner Eddie Ives said Achituv “has shown impressive speed and composure in testing” and “this will be a big step for him but we’re confident he’ll adapt quickly and continue to build on the potential he’s already shown”.

In the off-season, GB4 team Douglas Motorsport has run 2025 United Formula Ford champion, FFord Festival and Walter Hayes Trophy winner Jason Smyth in tests.

The post Elite Motorsport and KMR Sport start on their 2026 GB4 line-ups appeared first on Formula Scout.

Photo: Jakob Ebrey Photography

KMR Sport’s Alex O’Grady climbed from seventh to take a maiden GB4 victory at Oulton Park after a pre-race rain shower turned the form book on its head.

With the weather changing within minutes of the start, some drivers opted for slick tyres while others switched to wets.

O’Grady was the highest-placed driver on the grid to fit wets, and it took him just two corners to move into the lead before pulling seven seconds clear.

Hillspeed’s polesitter Daniel Guinchard tumbled to 18th, while Elite Motorsport’s fellow slick runners Alex Kattoulas and Ary Bansal briefly squabbled for the lead before slipping down the order as well.

Fortec Motorsports’ Luca Magnussen gained nine places to second on the opening lap ahead of Pace Performance’s Stefan Bostandjiev, KMR’s Megan Bruce and Douglas Motorsport’s Enzo Hallman, the quartet scything through the field on wet tyres.

Bruce, who started the race in 20th, swept around the outside of Bostandjiev into third on lap two before the safety car was deployed – due to Douglas’s Dayton Coulthard and Hillspeed’s Leandro Juncos both sliding off the road and becoming beached in the gravel.

There was only enough time left for three more green flag laps once the safety car was withdrawn. O’Grady edged away once more before taking the chequered flag 2.5s ahead of Magnussen, who scored his first car racing podium.

Hallman passed Bostandjiev shortly after the restart, and then snatched third from Bruce at the beginning of the final lap.

Pace’s Josh McLean came from 21st to finish sixth ahead of Arden duo Leon Wilson and Ava Dobson, while Fox Motorsport’s Holly Miall and KMR’s Lily Watkins both made up 13 places to ninth and 10th respectively.

Graham Brunton Racing’s Alex Berg was the highest finisher on slicks in 11th, one place ahead of his team-mate Callum Baxter. Guinchard came home 13th, while Kattoulas initially recovered into the top 10 before going off late on and tumbled to 15th.

Race results (8 laps)

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Photo: Jakob Ebrey Photography

GB4’s reigning three-time teams’ champions KMR Sport has completed its 2025 line-up with the signing of Alex O’Grady and Lily-May Watkins.

O’Grady was a FEED Racing France shootout finalist in 2023, and despite missing out on a free seat still progressed into French Formula 4 last year. He came 12th in the standings as a rookie, making the podium twice.

Prior to that, the 16-year-old Irishman spent several years in karting and finished sixth in the IAME Warriors Final for X30 Junior karts at Le Mans in 2022. 

“I’m very happy to be joining KMR Sport for the 2025 GB4 season,” O’Grady said. “Being multiple team champions, they are clearly a top team with good material and proven success. There will still be lots to learn for me, coming into the season with limited track time, however I’m confident that I can adapt quickly and learn.”

Watkins will be making her first car racing starts at next month’s Donington Park season-opener, and has taken part in both pre-season tests so far at Snetterton at Oulton Park. The 17-year-old has competed in karting across the United Kingdom since 2019 and has been a member of Arden’s Young Racing Driver Academy.

“I’m very excited to be making the step into GB4 with KMR for the 2025 season,” said Watkins. “I am looking forward to being part of such a successful but also welcoming team, and I’m eager to bring my best for them.

“The prospect of competing at this level and being part of a welcoming and inclusive category is something I have only dreamed of. I am excited to continue building across pre-season testing, learn from my teammates, and be ready for round one in a few weeks.”

Another to confirm her place on the grid after taking part in pre-season testing is Ava Dobson, who is returning to GB4 with Arden. The 16-year-old American took part in two rounds last season with Velocity Racing Development – Arden’s partner team – and scored a best result of ninth place at Silverstone.

Those appearances were her first since her USF Juniors season was cut short by injury following a high-speed collision at Barber Motorsports Park. In 2023 she raced in three different single-seater championships in the United States, contesting selected events in Formula 4, USF Juniors and USF2000 with Jay Howard Driver Development.

“Racing with Arden last year was such an incredible experience, and I’m beyond excited to be back with them for a full GB4 season,” said Dobson. “I learned so much in the rounds I competed in, and I can’t wait to build on that, work with the team, and fight for strong results this year!”

Watkins and Dobson are among a quartet of drivers in contention for an increased €50,000 prize contribution towards a 2026 F1 Academy drive for being the top female in this year’s GB4 standings. Last year’s recipient and overall GB4 runner-up Alisha Palmowski netted €30,000 towards her 2025 F1 Academy seat with Campos Racing.

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