KTM X-BOW GT4 EVO No. 46 – Britcar Season Opener at Donington Park

The 2026 UK motorsport season kicked off with a thunderous roar off the starting line. Across the country, hundreds of drivers competing in various championships and club events reaffirmed one thing—Britain’s racing heritage is alive and thriving. From passionate fans to grassroots competitors and freelance photographers like myself, the energy surrounding the opening weekend was nothing short of electric.

KTM X-BOW GT4 EVO in the Garage

At Donington Park—a circuit steeped in history and known for hosting pre-war Grands Prix—the day began under surprisingly pleasant weather. Sunshine broke through the usual British cloud cover, adding a cinematic tone to the paddock atmosphere.

While walking through the pit lane ahead of the Britcar Endurance Championship’s first practice session, one machine immediately stood out: the KTM X-BOW GT4 EVO, wearing a striking green and orange livery with race number 46.

Built around a carbon monocoque derived from Dallara F3 technology, the car houses a 2.0L Audi TFSI turbocharged inline engine capable of reaching speeds up to 265 km/h.

Its aggressive aerodynamic package, featuring a high-downforce rear wing and ultra-low carbon splitters, makes it a pure track-focused machine. Watching it in motion, especially through high-speed sections, is nothing short of mesmerising.

The team from MTD Motorsport were busy fine-tuning the car to suit Donington’s technical layout. I had the opportunity to speak with the team owner and capture some intimate garage moments, which are always a highlight as a photographer.

About the Driver – Rob Taylor

Rob Taylor is not your typical racer. An army veteran, he previously competed with the Army Motorsport team in the Armed Forces Race Challenge. He secured 4th place in 2018 driving a BMW Compact and followed that with a 6th-place finish in the 2019 Tegiwa Club Enduro Championship.

With solid results under his belt, stepping into the KTM GT4 represented both a challenge and an opportunity to push further into competitive endurance racing. Once the engineers step back, the responsibility shifts entirely to the driver to extract performance, maintain consistency, and ultimately deliver results.

The Veteran on Track

The crowd’s attention was drawn to two KTM machines on track—one from MTD Motorsport in the GT4 category and another GT2 entry from TrueMix Racing, finished in a bold orange-and-black livery. The GT4 EVO delivered a phenomenal performance through Donington’s most iconic sections. Redgate Corner demanded precise turn-in, the Craner Curves required full commitment at high speed, and McLeans corner challenged drivers with a blind apex that required confidence before even seeing the exit.

Capturing these moments with panning shots allowed me to freeze both motion and emotion, showcasing the intensity of a veteran driver pushing limits on track. Practice concluded with a P6 finish, a best lap of 1:35.116, and a total of 19 laps completed, sitting 4.5 seconds behind the KTM GT2.

Qualifying – Stepping Up the Pace

After a strong practice session, the team refined their setup heading into qualifying. Rob demonstrated improved pace and consistency, extracting more performance from the car and climbing up the leaderboard. The effort paid off with a P3 overall finish and P3 in class, setting a best lap time of 1:32.196 over 7 laps, with a reduced gap of 3.8 seconds to the KTM GT2. It was a clear step forward and a strong statement ahead of the race.

Endurance Racing – A Test On and Off Track

Despite strong performances in both practice and qualifying, the team unfortunately did not finish the race and were marked as Not Classified due to unknown reasons.

Endurance racing is as much about strategy as it is about speed. It tests coordination, reliability, timing, and consistency over long durations. A crucial rule requires cars to complete at least 75 percent of the winner’s race distance to be classified, and falling short results in exclusion from the final standings.

KTM X-BOW GT4 EVO – Final Thoughts

Donington Park offered more than just racing; it provided insight into the true essence of endurance motorsport.

From a driver’s resilience to the collective effort of a team, the experience reinforced an important lesson—racing pushes limits both on and off the track. As I left the circuit, camera in hand and memory cards full, I couldn’t help but smile, knowing this was just the beginning of the 2026 season.

Photographic Post Script

From a photographer’s perspective, this event was equally demanding and rewarding.

Using the Canon EOS R5 Mark II paired with a 70–200mm f/2.8 EF lens via an EOS-R adapter, I pushed my creative boundaries. Shooting at 30 frames per second in continuous burst mode and experimenting with extremely slow shutter speeds such as 1/10, 1/25, and even 1/6, I managed to achieve sharp panning shots beyond expectations.

One missed opportunity was forgetting to enable the 1.6x crop mode, which would have provided extra reach for infield shots. Nevertheless, reviewing the images later left me genuinely satisfied and reminded me that experimentation often leads to the best results.

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