Simon Rudd and his GRD teammates got their 2026 season off to the best possible start with victory in the opening round last weekend.
Oulton Park was host to the first round and for Rudd and his teammates Chris Dovell and Riley Phillips it was like they haven’t been away as they hit the ground running from the off.
The 2025 champions were up against it with a grid of 29 cars for the weekend, and with some top talent behind the wheels it was not going to be easy. Especially as defending champions they had to begin the race from last place on the grid.
The does mean though that it is an extremely competitive racing, which was raced across four hours and with seven safety cars and extremely changeable weather conditions, they had more than their fair share of the challenges.
However, thanks to an excellent strategy that was executed flawlessly by teams and drivers alike they finished on the top step of the podium after four hours. The season now moves onto Snetteron on the 9th May.
Speaking after the opening weekend, Rudd said: “We knew it would be tough with the quality of the grid but it was such an enjoyable weekend working on everything to make sure we were on top of our game!’