Collards Rob and Ricky have joined forces with Barwell Motorsport for a crack at this year’s British GT Championship title.
The father-son duo previously raced together – and won their class – at the 2020 CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa as part of a four-driver crew with Barwell. However, this will be the first season in which their names appear solely above the door.
Theirs is the first of Barwell’s two pairings to be announced. The second will be revealed shortly.
For Rob, 2024 represents a season of continuity – he finished second in Fanatec GT Europe’s Pro-Am standings with the same car and team last year – as well as a first British GT campaign since 2020 when he clinched the drivers’ title at his first attempt with Sandy Mitchell. The pair won twice that year before a regulation change prevented two Silvers from sharing a car.
Rob, who swapped a glittering BTCC career for GTs at the end of 2019, duly moved on to Europe with Barwell. Meanwhile, Ricky – a former GT3 driver with Aston Martin who also finished runner-up in 2016’s BRDC British F3 Championship – embarked on a successful domestic touring car adventure of his own, first with BMW and then Toyota.
However, Collard Snr’s recent FIA re-grading now allows him to partner his eldest son in British GT’s Pro-Am ranks for the first time.
His last appearance came at the wheel of Lamborghini’s previous generation Huracan, which was replaced in 2023 by the Evo 2. The new car won twice last year in the hands of Shaun Balfe and Squadra Corse factory driver Mitchell, whose performances particularly caught the eye.
“I’m delighted to be back in British GT, and to be sharing a car with Ricky,” said Rob. “We’ve done a few one-off races together before, but this will be our first full season together – to race alongside your son is every dad’s dream! I couldn’t wish for a better team-mate. The one thing Ricky has in abundance is speed, and he’s learned a lot from his recent years in touring cars, so I think he’s in a really great place to attack British GT this year.
“Our biggest job will be to harness everything – speed, experience, consistency – and put together a championship challenge, which isn’t easy in British GT. I’ve never been the sort of driver to go into a season expecting success to be handed to me. The level British GT is at now is incredible, with some of the best professional and amateur drivers in the world, but I feel we’ve got a really strong package with Barwell, along with the great support we get from Black Bull Scotch Whisky.
“The Lamborghini showed itself to be a winning car last year, but it will be the hard work and skill that Barwell brings to the table that can make all the difference. The environment with the team is excellent, and that always helps push you on as a driver. We’ve got our eyes on race wins, and the championship, no doubt.”
Ricky added:
“This year is going to be a great challenge, for a number of reasons. First, it’s going to be awesome sharing a GT3 car with my dad. We’ve always worked so well together and been so supportive of each other, whether we’re racing together, doing some training on the sim or on test days… it gives us a different dynamic to other pairings on the grid. Second, to join a championship like British GT is massively exciting. If you look at the quality of the grid there are more professional drivers there now than in touring cars, so it’s the best place to go and prove your skill. Third, joining Barwell is going to be a great experience. The team is incredibly professional and has already delivered my dad a British GT title and us a Spa 24 Hours class win, so I have no doubt we’ll have a competitive car.
“Coming back to the UK tracks to race in touring cars over the last two years has been beneficial after competing in Europe for so long. I’ll have some adapting to do to get back into the technique of rear-wheel-drive GT3 racing, but I’m really excited for the challenge. Our ambition is unquestionably to win the championship. Dad’s already done it, so I’ve got some catching up to do! We’ll be going all-out for race wins from the start.”
This year’s British GT Championship gets underway at Oulton Park on March 30 + April 1.
DID YOU KNOW?
Rob Collard’s single British GT campaign is well documented. But Oulton’s season opener will not be Ricky’s first appearance. He made a one-off outing at the same venue with Century in a BMW M4 GT4 in 2018.
Several ‘dad and lad’ crews have won British GT races together, the most recent being Richard and Sam Neary in 2022. However, only one – Jim and Glynn Geddie – has managed to seal the title (2011).
