Julian McBride Claims Maiden Overall Britcar Podium at Snetterton
- Alex Humphries
- Jul 11
- 4 min read
Julian McBride claimed his maiden overall Britcar podium at Snetterton after finishing third overall and second in the GT class alongside Phil Keen for Geoff Steel Racing.
Competing on the support bill for the British Truck Racing Championship and TCR UK at Snetterton on Saturday 11th July, the fourth round of the Britcar season marked a return to the traditional 90-minute endurance format around the full 2.97-mile Snetterton 300 circuit. The combination of patience, consistency and a perfectly judged strategy would ultimately provide the foundation for McBride’s strongest Britcar result to date.
Saturday began under cool, overcast skies as the field took to the circuit for the morning’s practice and qualifying sessions. Conditions gradually improved throughout the day, with warmer temperatures providing ideal conditions by the time the race got underway after lunch.
Practice provided McBride and the Geoff Steel Racing team with the opportunity to build on the work completed during Friday’s testing. A best lap of 2:09.680 placed the BMW M3 ninth overall and fourth in the GT class, although McBride felt there was still more pace to unlock from both himself and the car.
Qualifying remained closely contested across the GT field. McBride improved to a 2:02.308, placing nineteenth overall and tenth in class for the race. While the grid position was lower than the team had hoped for, the longer race format offered plenty of opportunities to recover ground, and a superb getaway from the rolling start saw the BMW gain two places on the opening lap before McBride settled into a confident rhythm.
The opening stint developed into an entertaining battle with several GT and Trophy class rivals, with the Geoff Steel Racing BMW trading positions with the Army Motorsport Ginettas and the Capture Motorsport and TSR Performance Cupras. McBride kept himself out of trouble, managed the traffic well and gradually began climbing the order as competitors ahead started to make their mandatory pit stops. A mistake from the Capture Motorsport Cupra ahead also helped the BMW close back onto the cars in front before the pit window opened.
As the race approached the halfway mark, the pit window opened and strategy began to play an increasingly important role. Having worked his way forward through the field, McBride remained firmly in contention as rivals began making their mandatory stops.
Having spotted the stranded Army Sport Ginetta on the infield after Agostini, McBride recognised a Safety Car was likely and called for the team to bring him in at the end of the lap. The BMW was refuelled before Phil Keen climbed aboard for the second half of the race.
Moments later, the Safety Car boards were shown, validating the team's decision. After joining the Safety Car train, Keen completed the BMW's second mandatory pit stop while the race remained neutralised. Although the sequence left him with considerable work still to do once racing resumed, Geoff Steel Racing had successfully completed both compulsory stops while several rivals continued to juggle strategy.
When racing resumed with just under half an hour remaining, Keen immediately began carving his way back through the field. Drawing on the experience that has made him one of Britain's most successful GT drivers, he quickly climbed into podium contention, moving into second in the GT class before a stop-go penalty for a rival promoted the Geoff Steel Racing BMW onto the overall podium.
Keen continued to pile the pressure onto Simon Clark's McLaren during the closing stages, reducing the gap to just over two seconds. Running in the turbulent air behind the McLaren began to push temperatures higher than the team would have liked, forcing Keen to manage the BMW rather than continue his attack. The chequered flag ultimately fell with just 2.286 seconds separating the two cars, securing third overall and second in class after an outstanding team performance.
Reflecting on his strongest Britcar result to date, McBride admitted he had been frustrated by his pace in practice and qualifying, but felt everything came together once the race got underway.
“To be honest, I wasn’t particularly happy with practice or qualifying. I knew there was more pace in both the car and myself, so nineteenth on the grid wasn’t where I felt we should have been.
“Once the race got underway though, everything started to come together. I settled into a really good rhythm, the car felt better and better as the stint went on, and I had some really enjoyable battles out there. By the time I handed the car over, I felt we’d put ourselves in a position to have a good result.
"Sharing a car was a completely new experience for me. I've never raced as part of a driver pairing before, so there was a huge amount to take in. Being able to hand the car over to someone with Phil's experience and then watch him work was a fantastic opportunity to learn. Seeing him bring the BMW home on the overall podium was an incredible feeling.
“A huge thanks to Phil, Geoff Steel Racing and everyone who’s supported me throughout the season. Hopefully we can take this momentum into Donington next month and keep building.”
The Britcar Endurance Championship now returns to Donington Park on 8th August as part of Convoy in the Park. Racing on the National circuit layout, McBride will head back to the venue where his Britcar journey began looking to build on the momentum generated by his maiden overall podium.
