Photo: Jakob Ebrey Photography
Elite Motorsport and KMR Sport have announced their first drivers for the 2026 GB4 season.
Remaining with KMR for a second year are Alex O’Grady and Lily-May Watkins, who came eighth and 27th respectively in the 2025 standings. O’Grady claimed one win and two other podiums, while Watkins’ best result was a 10th place.
In 2023, O’Grady was a FEED Racing France shootout finalist and despite missing out on a free seat still progressed into French Formula 4 for 2024. He came 12th in the championship, making the podium twice.
Prior to that, he spent several years karting and finished sixth in the 2022 IAME Warriors Final for X30 Junior karts at Le Mans.
“I’m very happy to be staying onboard with KMR Sport for another season in GB4,” said the 16-year-old Irishman.
“We showed very strong pace particularly at the end of the 2025 season, and I’m looking forward to carrying that into 2026. Last season was a year of learning and developing our car, now it’s time to go for the title.”
KMR’s team principal Kevin Mills added: “We’re absolutely thrilled to welcome Alex back to the team for a second season with us in 2026. He proved on numerous occasions this year that he was every bit as quick as the title contenders were, and with a bit more fortune, he could have been much closer to them in the final standings.”
Watkins was a single-seater newcomer this year, having previously karted across the United Kingdom and been a member of Arden’s Young Racing Driver Academy.
“Being my first year in cars the step was quite challenging, but with the team’s help I progressed immensely throughout the season,” said the 18-year-old. “This year we’ve seen progress, but next year I believe we can fight further up the grid and hopefully challenge for the female championship.”
Israeli racer Matan Achituv joins Elite’s 2026 line-up after coming 12th in the F4-spec Skip Barber Formula Race Series in 2024, then sixth in the YACademy Winter Series and 14th in USF Juniors (which use the same car) this year in the USA.
“I’ve already had a couple of strong tests with [Elite] and I am confident we can perform going into the season,” the 15-year-old said of his GB4 switch.
“I’ve felt really comfortable within the team and the environment, and it’s been a great place for me to grow. I’m ready to keep developing and pushing forward into next year. This will be my debut season racing in Europe, so I’m looking forward to the challenge of learning the UK tracks and adapting quickly.”
Team owner Eddie Ives said Achituv “has shown impressive speed and composure in testing” and “this will be a big step for him but we’re confident he’ll adapt quickly and continue to build on the potential he’s already shown”.
In the off-season, GB4 team Douglas Motorsport has run 2025 United Formula Ford champion, FFord Festival and Walter Hayes Trophy winner Jason Smyth in tests.