March 23, 2026 | News | GT4 Winter Series
For SR Motorsport by Schnitzelalm’s Enrico Förderer and Joel Mesch – already crowned the 2026 champions – the return of Elite would be a big test. The British team entered two McLaren Artura GT4s. Fred Green and Harri Reynolds would share the #77, while former GT4 Winter Series rivals Charlie Hart and McKenzy Cresswell shared the #78. Cresswell, the 2025 series champion, had not sat in the car since October. His teammate Hart would qualify third in the first race, behind teammate Harri Reynolds and pole-sitter Joel Mesch.
The first race was held in damp conditions, and one driver – Team VRT’s Aleksanders Bobrovs – braved slicks. However, this backfired, as he lost control out of turn four, and hit the barriers. The race began after an extra formation lap, and Mesch led the early stages in the Mercedes-AMG GT4. Harri Reynolds dove to pass Mesch at turn 10, but would be side-by-side with the German approaching turn 12. Reynolds drifted wide, tagging the door of Mesch, and sending his McLaren into a spin.
While Reynolds’ charge was negated, Mesch would soon find himself under scrutiny from the other Elite McLaren of Charlie Hart. The Brit confidently swept around the outside at turn 13, claiming the lead.
Further back, Tom Papenburg spent much of his race fighting with the likes of Robert Cronin and Tim Horrell for fifth position. The young Dutchman defended hard for several laps, and briefly cut across the runoff on the inside of turn two. Unfortunately, this would result in a ten-second penalty, negating the defensive drive and moving Tim Horrell to fifth post-race.
At the front of the pack, Charlie Hart dominated, eventually finishing some seven seconds clear of Joel Mesch. Harri Reynolds finished third, performing an impressive climb through the field following his early spin. Horrell’s fifth place granted him PRO-AM victory, while fellow W&S Porsche driver Daniel Blickle won the AM class. Helge Tamm won the Cayman Trophy with East Racing Motorsport, while Thilo Goos ran uncontested to win Club in his BWT Mücke Motorsport Aston Martin.
Race two:
For the second race of the weekend – held in fantastic morning sun – McKenzy Cresswell would start the race from pole position. Frederik Zebis was next in the #30 W&S Porsche, while Charlie Robertson lined-up third in the L’Espace Bienvenue BMW. Enrico Förderer rounded out the first two rows.
As the race began, both front row starters lost time. Zebis had a bad launch, and was swallowed up by the second row, while McKenzy Cresswell overshot turn one. The Elite McLaren would bounce across the gravel, and rejoin at the very back of the grid. Enrico Förderer inherited the lead, followed by Zebis, Maximilian Schreyer and Charlie Robertson. Behind fifth-placed Fred Green in the #77 Elite McLaren, a fast-starting Mattis Pluschkell was sixth in the Club class, older-spec Mücke Aston Martin.
Fred Green quickly moved past Robertson and Schreyer in the early laps, to move up to third. Further back, Cresswell’s woes continued, as he collided with Valentin Kluss (NM Racing Team Mercedes) and ended up in the turn 10 gravel. A Safety Car was scrambled, and compacted the field together. Upon the race resumption, Green made short work of both Frederik Zebis and Enrico Förderer, the latter of whom seemed to be struggling, as his pace dropped off post-Safety Car.
Green would therefore be in the lead, and took the race win in his first GT4 outing. Förderer held on to second place, while Frederik Zebis finished third, and won the PRO-AM class. Meanwhile, finishing third in the PRO-AM class, Charlie Robertson secured the class championship for he and Ravi Ramyead. Joachim Bölting won his class, establishing himself as the AM champion. Marco Reinbold won the Cayman Trophy class, while Mattis Pluschkell fell down to 16th, but still took the Club class honours.
Race three:
The third and final race of the weekend – the 60-minute pitstop race – would have the feel of an exhibition, with the titles decided, and the biggest question being the potential for an Elite clean-sweep. Joel Mesch started on pole position, surrounded by Elite’s Fred Green and McKenzy Cresswell. Joining Cresswell on the second row was Frederik Zebis in his W&S Motorsport Porsche.
Mesch held the lead early on in the race, but was being swarmed by both Elite McLarens. Fred Green would soon move into the lead, and McKenzy Cresswell also made short work of the SR Motorsport Mercedes, making it an Elite 1-2 at the front. Further back, Ravi Ramyead was falling through the order, struggling with both ABS and traction control failure aboard the L’Espace Bienvenue BMW. At the pitstops, the team took the minute-long time penalty to switch tyres, as all four Pirellis were flat-spotted by the end of Ravi’s stint.
Before Elite’s pair of McLarens could tear away from the field in the early minutes, the Safety Car would be scrambled courtesy of a turn one collision between Tom Papenburg (CVxJP Mercedes) and Colin Cronin (RaceLab McLaren). Papenburg would end up with his rear-axle beached in the gravel.
Once the pit window opened, the #77 of Fred Green was the first Elite McLaren into the pits, to be taken over by Harri Reynolds. A lap later, McKenzy Cresswell passed his #78 Artura to Charlie Hart, who assumed the lead of the race; seemingly, Cresswell’s in-lap was a difference maker for he and Hart.
Hart would dutifully maintain his lead throughout the second phase of the race, and ensure a clean sweep of race victories for Elite Motorsport in Barcelona. Harri Reynolds made it a 1-2 for the British squad, while 2026 GT4 Winter Series Champions Enrico Förderer and Joel Mesch ended the season with a third place finish.
Tim Horrell and Frederik Zebis finished fifth overall, winning the PRO-AM class, while their W&S teammate Joachim Bölting won the AM class. Marco Reinbold and Paul Hochberger took Cayman Trophy honours for East Racing, while Thilo Goos and Mattis Pluschkell finished an impressive 12th overall to take the final Club class victory of 2026.
While Elite took the victories at Barcelona, it does not take away from the fantastic season-long effort of Joel Mesch and Enrico Förderer, to win the overall title and break the record for most victories in a season along the way.
Now, for some teams, it will be a long wait until the 2027 GT4 Winter Series. However, with several familiar squads set to compete in the new GEDLICH Racing GT Summer Series, a portion of the paddock will re-convene at Hockenheim from 17-19 April.
