Jessica Hawkins makes GT4 debut with second place at Silverstone on British GT return
- RACERS
- Apr 27
- 4 min read
Jessica Hawkins enjoyed a superb start to her British GT Championship campaign, securing a second-place finish in the GT4 class after battling among the front runners throughout an action-packed three-hour race at Silverstone Circuit.
Jessica Hawkins enjoyed a superb start to her British GT Championship campaign, securing an impressive second-place finish in the GT4 class after battling among the front runners throughout an action-packed three-hour race at Silverstone Circuit.
In her first race in GT4 machinery, Hawkins delivered a competitive performance, consistently fighting at the front and remaining in contention for victory before ultimately bringing home a highlight result of second in the GT4 and GT4 Silver classes.
Hawkins returned to British GT for a full-season GT4 campaign with MKH Racing, partnering Will Orton in what has quickly emerged as one of the most competitive Silver-class line-ups on the grid. The team rejoined the championship on a full-time basis after a partial Endurance Cup programme, with Orton contributing valuable experience of the Aston Martin Vantage GT4 from both British GT and GT4 European Series competition.
For Hawkins, the season marks both a return and a new chapter in her GT career. The Aston Martin Aramco Formula 1 Team Driver Ambassador previously competed in British GT in 2024, making her GT3 debut and demonstrating clear progression across a partial rookie campaign that included two Silver-Am podium finishes. She then stepped up to GT World Challenge Europe in 2025, where a series of misfortunes outside her control limited her track time. Now transitioning to GT4 machinery for the first time, Hawkins begins a new challenge with renewed focus.
The weekend began on a strong note, with Hawkins showing solid pace in pre-event testing, topping the GT4 Silver class. That form carried into official practice, where the #21 Aston Martin consistently ran among the top contenders, ending the opening session third in class with a 2:10.011 lap. The second session, serving as pre-qualifying, brought another positive result as the Hawkins-Orton pairing secured second in GT4 Silver with a 2:10.437.
In qualifying, Hawkins took the wheel for Q1 and delivered a competitive performance. Setting the fastest third sector at one stage, she briefly topped the GT4 times before ultimately securing third in class with a 2:10.188 lap. Orton followed in Q2 and produced another good lap of 2:09.202, placing second overall and fastest in GT4 Silver at the time, before ending the session third overall and second in class after the Ginetta claimed pole.
The three-hour race began with Orton at the wheel of the #21 Aston Martin, starting second in GT4 Silver. Amid a chaotic opening lap involving multiple GT3 incidents at Turn 1, Orton made an excellent start, attacking and overtaking the #74 Ginetta of Holland to seize the class lead. He gained four positions overall and led the GT4 field before the early safety car intervention.
Following a quick restart, Orton and the leading Ginetta began to pull clear of the rest of the GT4 pack, running nose-to-tail. Although Holland reclaimed the lead on lap 7, Orton settled into a consistent low 2:11 pace, maintaining a gap of over three seconds to the chasing pack and around five seconds to the nearest GT4 Silver rival. A Full Course Yellow on lap 12 allowed Orton to pit, handing over to Hawkins, who rejoined second in class directly behind the leading Ginetta.
With over two hours remaining, Hawkins resumed the race in close pursuit, running in the gearbox of Simpson’s Ginetta while navigating heavy GT3 traffic. Despite the challenges of multi-class racing, she maintained strong pace in the 2:11 range and steadily built a margin to the cars behind, extending her gap to over six seconds while consolidating second in class.
As the race progressed, the leading GT4 contenders stabilized their gaps, with Hawkins continuing to deliver consistent lap times. A second round of pit stops approached, but before it could fully unfold, a multi-car incident involving three GT4 entries triggered another Full Course Yellow. Hawkins pitted under caution from second in class, handing back to Orton, who retained the same position behind the leading Ginetta.
The final phase of the race was repeatedly interrupted by further incidents and safety car periods, including a lamborghini GT3 car fire that neutralized the field once again. Orton held firm in second place throughout, even as the chasing #59 McLaren began to close in. Responding with his personal best laps in the low 2:11s, Orton re-established a buffer before another caution period set up a final stint shootout.
With just 25 minutes remaining, Hawkins returned to the cockpit for the run to the flag. The top five GT4 cars remained on the lead lap, with Hawkins restarting second behind the #74 Ginetta and ahead of the #59 McLaren.
After the final safety car period, she executed a clean restart and maintained position under intense pressure, once again navigating dense GT3 traffic.
In the closing laps, Hawkins delivered a faultless performance, consistently lapping under 2:11 and managing the gap behind despite additional on-track battles from lapped cars. Showing maturity and good racecraft, she made no mistakes and brought the car home in second place overall in GT4 and in GT4 Silver, completing a superb debut in the category for the MKH Racing duo.
The strong result marks an excellent start to the season for Hawkins and Orton, who confirmed the team as early contenders in the championship. The next round of the British GT Championship will take place at Oulton Park Circuit on 23–25 May for a double-header event.
