Harper and Leung Claim Silverstone 500 Victory in Dramatic Showdown
Silverstone, UK – In a thrilling conclusion to the 2025 British GT season, 2023 champion Dan Harper secured his second Silverstone 500 title alongside teammate Darren Leung in the Paradine Competition BMW M4 GT3 Evo. The duo emerged victorious after an intense battle with Kiern Jewiss, driving the #42 2 Seas Motorsport Mercedes-AMG, which closed the gap to just 0.580 seconds by race end.
Harper faced pressure throughout the final laps, especially after serving a 1-second stop-and-go penalty for a driver stint infringement. “It was a bit scary at the end with the Mercedes of Kiern coming back,” Harper remarked, acknowledging Jewiss’s competitive edge from their time as Ginetta teammates.
The race featured three full-course yellows that disrupted pacing, leading to a critical moment when Jewiss was handed a drive-through penalty for an infraction during a caution period, costing him 24 seconds and allowing Harper to maintain his lead.
Despite starting 20 seconds behind after Jewiss’s pit stop, the Mercedes-AMG gained ground but ultimately could not overtake the BMW before the checkered flag.
Optimum Motorsport’s #77 McLaren GT3 EVO, piloted by Marvin Kirchhöfer and Morgan Tillbrook, rounded out the podium in third, 8.2 seconds adrift. Four-time British GT champion Jonny Adam finished fourth with the #7 Blackthorn Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 Evo, showcasing improvement after a challenging season start.
Additional highlights included:
- The #67 Orange by JMH McLaren finishing fifth, just ahead of the #1 Barwell Lamborghini driven by Hugo Cook, which faced tough midfield battles.
- Paddock Motorsport secured seventh with the #8 McLaren after a recovery from early race challenges, while the #78 Barwell Lamborghini duo placed eighth despite incurring two significant penalties.
- Steller Motorsport claimed the GT3 Silver-Am victory with its guest entry, the #27 Audi, finishing ninth.
In the GT4 category, Century Motorsport’s #71 BMW M4 GT4 Evo claimed victory, finishing over a lap ahead of the second-place Optimum Motorsport #90 McLaren Artura. Century’s other entry completed the podium as the highest-placed Silver finishers.
Overall, the Silverstone 500 highlighted the intense competition in British GT, setting the stage for future races as teams navigate the balance between speed and strategy in this fiercely contested series.
Championship Standings Update:
Following this event, the current leaders in the championship extended their lead, with Jewiss’s performance resulting in a maximum haul of 37.5 points despite not securing the win.
Further updates and detailed analysis will follow as the championship progresses, powered by Birch, world-class automotive asset management at Gatwick.
