The SD Team-backed Porsche 911 GT3 R will return to the British GT Championship after a two-year absence as the campaign begins anew for Nick Jones and Sven Müller at Donington Park this weekend.
Having not featured in the UK’s premier sportscar championship since a one-off appearance in 2023, the familiar SD-liveried Porsche will be back competing on home soil in the season’s opening two-hour race at the Derbyshire venue. Team Parker Racing will operate the car for Jones and Müller, reigniting the long-running partnership between the UK’s leading Porsche team, SD and Jones that first began back in 2017.
Since his final domestic campaign, Jones has impressed on the European stage, scoring multiple podium finishes in the Le Mans Cup, where he linked up with Porsche factory ace Müller for the first time last season. The pair went on an impressive run from mid-season, scoring two podium finishes from the year’s final four races, helping Jones to fourth place in the GT3 driver standings.
Müller will undoubtedly be a major pull on what will be his British GT debut. The German will be one of five factory drivers on the 26-car grid and will go head-to-head with his opposite numbers from Aston Martin, McLaren, Lamborghini and Mercedes-AMG. The SD Porsche will also be the sole representative of the Stuttgart brand on this year’s grid.
The two-hour season opener at Donington offers a great opportunity for both Jones and Müller to score some valuable early-season points. While Müller has never visited the venue before, Jones scored his breakthrough British GT3 victory there at the wheel of a Bentley Continental GT3 back in 2020. The pair head into the weekend keen to make a flying start to the season.
Nick Jones says: “I’m really excited for this weekend – it’s been a while since I got stuck into British GT! It’s a great championship, with a really strong entry list so we’ll no doubt have a fight on our hands from the word go. Being back with Team Parker has been brilliant, it’s like going racing with a bunch of mates every weekend and the car feels like it’s in a good place. Obviously, I’m also a fan of Donington Park, having won my first race there in the Bentley and it’s a track I know well and feel comfortable at. I’ve improved as a driver since racing in Europe, and working with a driver like Sven you’re always learning new things. I’m fitter and faster than I ever was during my other British GT seasons, so I’m looking forward to seeing what I can achieve as Nick 2.0.”
Sven Müller says: “I’m really looking forward to this weekend as it’ll be my first-ever race in British GT, and my first at Donington Park, so everything will be new to me. But we have a good team behind us in Team Parker Racing and they have helped to prepare us well. I’ve had a day to learn the Donington track and that should be enough to learn most of the characteristics of the track, but most importantly we are looking forward to a good race weekend, hopefully with minimal problems so we can start the season strong. Let’s see how it goes!”
Action for the British GT Championship season opener at Donington Park gets underway with twin practice sessions on Saturday morning ahead of Qualifying at 15:50. Sunday begins with Warm-up in the morning, with the two-hour race set to begin at 12:45. All sessions will feature live timing, while qualifying and the race will be streamed live on the GT World YouTube channel.
