Julian McBride Secures First Britcar Podium at Oulton Park

Julian McBride claimed his first podium finish in the Britcar Endurance Championship at Oulton Park, finishing third in class and fourth overall in only his second race in the series. Starting from 17th on the grid, it was a result built over the course of the day, shaped by a disrupted run into qualifying and executed through a measured, disciplined drive across the 90-minute race.

Oulton Park’s International Circuit provided a fitting setting. The 2.69-mile layout winds its way through the Cheshire countryside, with 17 corners that flow from one into the next and very little margin for error. It is a circuit that rewards drivers who can commit, stay precise and maintain consistency over a stint. Conditions on Saturday were settled, with warm spring sunshine throughout the day and a track that remained stable from morning through to the race.

Free practice began at 9am and gave McBride the opportunity to build on the work completed in testing the day before. Over 24 laps, he worked through a number of changes and focused on settling into a rhythm, ending the session with a best time of 1:46.061 which placed him 15th overall and 9th in class. It was a solid starting point, with the expectation of finding more time across the next sessions.

That momentum was interrupted before it could develop further. The second session at 11:30am was stopped almost as soon as it began following a medical emergency involving a spectator, which required track access for emergency services. McBride completed just two laps, one of which was an out lap, before the red flag was shown. With qualifying scheduled immediately afterwards, the stoppage had a direct impact on preparation. There was no opportunity to bring the tyres into their ideal window or build any kind of rhythm, and the field went into qualifying without the usual foundation of running behind them.

When qualifying began at 11:55am, those conditions were evident. McBride completed six laps and set a best time of 1:46.099, placing him 17th on the grid and 10th in class. It was a session that never quite came together, not just for McBride but across the field, with limited running and a narrow window to produce a clean lap. The result left him with work to do heading into the race, although the underlying pace suggested there was scope to move forward.

From the start of the race, the focus shifted to managing that recovery. The rolling start was followed by an early safety car after a car became stranded in the gravel at Knickerbrook, compressing the field and bringing the pack back together. Once the race resumed, McBride settled into a consistent rhythm, avoiding unnecessary risks while keeping in touch with the cars ahead.

Rather than committing to an early stop, Geoff Steel Racing opted to extend the first stint. That decision allowed McBride to move up the order as others pitted, maintaining track position and keeping clear of traffic. By the time he came in for his first mandatory stop, with around 40 minutes remaining, he had worked his way into fourth overall and fourth in class. The stop itself was completed in 2 minutes 03.025 seconds, a clean and efficient turnaround that kept him firmly in contention as he rejoined in 13th overall and seventh in class.

The second stop followed 15 minutes later and was completed even more sharply at 1 minute 48.619 seconds, again without issue. With both mandatory stops out of the way, the focus shifted to managing the remainder of the race and being in position to take advantage of any developments in the closing stages.

With just over 10 minutes remaining, the safety car was deployed again, closing the field for a second time. When racing resumed with five minutes to go, it created a short run to the flag with the field tightly grouped. McBride held his position through the closing laps, crossing the line fifth on the road and fourth in class, another strong recovery from his starting position.

The final result was confirmed shortly afterwards. Car number 4, which had finished ahead, had been issued a stop-go penalty earlier in the race for a pit stop infringement but had not served it. Following a post-race review, the penalty was applied to the classification, promoting McBride to fourth overall and third in class.

The result marked his first podium in the championship, achieved from 17th on the grid and in only his second appearance in Britcar. It also earned him the Sunoco Driver of the Day award, recognising both the progress made through the field and the consistency of the drive across a race that never fully settled.

Reflecting on the weekend, McBride said:

“I’m really pleased with that. Starting 17th, it was always going to be about working through the race and making sure we stayed in it.

The red flag before qualifying didn’t help, we never really got the chance to get everything where it needed to be, but we knew there was more pace in the car.

Once we got into the race, it was about staying consistent and letting it come to us. The strategy worked well and we were in the right place towards the end.

Oulton is my favourite track in the UK, so to get my first podium in Britcar here is a great feeling. I honestly didn’t expect the Sunoco Driver of the Day either, so that was a nice surprise. I’m chuffed to bits with that.

Thanks to Geoff Steel Racing and to everyone who came along to support. It really does make a difference.”

Two rounds into the season, McBride leaves Oulton Park with a strong points return and a first podium already secured. The championship now moves to Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium from 29th to 31st May, where the focus will be on building on that early progress.