2 Seas Motorsport secure British GT championship honours in a rollercoaster #DoningtonDecider

The final round of the British GT Championship - the #DoningtonDecider - is always billed as a grandstand event, and the 2025 edition did not disappoint. It was a race that had everything, with titles to be decided, action from the opening lap, changeable weather, and no guarantees until the chequered flag after two hours. At its conclusion, Kevin Tse and Maximillian Gotz led home a double top-4 finish to secure the GT3 Teams’ title, with their teammates Charles Dawson and Kiern Jewiss bringing home the overall and Pro Am GT3 Drivers’ titles.

2 Seas Motorsport has led both the Drivers and Teams’ standings since the opening round of the season, where the #42 pairing of Charles and Kiern scored a debut victory. With Donington Park bookending the calendar, the team arrived with a margin to the chasing pack and results in their control, but with work to do. Testing and the opening practice sessions ran cleanly and to plan, but conditions ahead of qualifying would set the tone for what was to come, with rain falling before the final shootout adding an extra challenge.

Saturday’s session saw Kevin and Charles out for a final qualifying run of the season. Battling gusting winds at points around the circuit and a very green and greasy surface, both cars ended inside the top-8, with Charles going second quickest in the final moments. Close battling over the second ‘Pro’ session saw Maximillian and Kiern combine with their teammates to set up the final grid of the season: the #42 palm tree-liveried Mercedes-AMG GT3 starting from P4, with The Bathing Ape Contempo Concept #18 two rows behind in P7.

The race got underway in sunny conditions, but blustery winds were threatening to bring added jeopardy to the race. Needing to finish inside the top-7 to claim the title, Charles made it immediately clear that he was not going to sit back and wait, moving forward a position by the exit of the opening corner.  The dramas of the following two hours would then begin to unfold as rain started to fall on lap 5, with the first caution period shortly after as cars battle for grip on the slippery surface.

Following the restart, the whole field cautiously searched for grip as they got back up to racing speeds. With one of the title rivals closing the gap behind, Charles was forced to immediately defend, before the two came together, spinning and dropping down the order. Kevin, also struggling for grip, was forced off track, briefly losing ground. Despite the setbacks, and now running in formation, the pair regrouped and looked to recover, with Charles making several passes in quick succession and was on the back of his other title rival as the pit window loomed.

Still fighting slippery conditions, running on slick tyres, Charles looked for a way past his second title rival, before an incident saw further contact. This would see the championship leader handed a 10s penalty, adding to the success compensation time in the upcoming pitstop, following the victory at the last event. With the track drying as the pitstops started to play out, all cars remained on slick tyres. Charles handed over to Kiern, while Kevin chose to maximise track time and ran longer, moving up the field to hold the final podium spot before handing over to Max.

Both 2 Seas’ Mercedes-AMG GT3s made immediate passes as they returned to the track, running well inside the top-10. Tricky conditions claimed further victims, and a stranded car would neutralise the race briefly as another caution period was called. Strong restarts by both Kiern and Max saw the pair running in formation, in P5 and P6 respectively with 40 minutes to go, as further rain started to fall. Now embroiled in a four-way battle, the pair ran closely together, navigating the wet track, seeking out grip while defending hard from the chasing pair. The wet tyre was briefly the quicker choice for the conditions, and saw several rivals make the switch, who were able to maximise speed in the conditions to offset the additional stop. Both sides of the 2 Seas garage monitored the track conditions and the weather closely, waiting to make the call for a change of tyres, but Kiern and Max stayed out.

As the rain subsided once more, Max made the pass on Kiern with less than 25 minutes to go. The Mercedes-AMG Performance Driver then set about closing the gap to the final podium position and, on a drying track, the slick tyre was then the quicker choice. Max made the pass for P3 with 10 minutes to go, with Kiern following close behind, moving into P4 shortly after.

At the line, and wearing heavy battle scars to prove their efforts, Max secured a sixth podium finish of the year for the #18 crew, followed closely by teammate Kiern to secure a second British GT GT3 Teams’ honours for 2 Seas Motorsport. The P4 finish – recovering from as low as P10 – secured a maiden GT3 title for both Kiern and Charles, as they took both the Pro-Am and overall honours.

“Honestly, this year has exceeded all expectations. We set out this year with a plan to hopefully score some podiums, and we have just won the championship. It really is a dream debut season in GT3 competition. We have taken the same approach during every race weekend – heads down, and just get the job done. Kiern has shown how much of a talent he is throughout the year, and the whole team has been great. Hopefully this is a stepping stone for more success in GT competition. “

Charles Dawson, 2 Seas Motorsport driver, #42 Mercedes-AMG GT3.

“What a rollercoaster. Very nerve-wracking at times, but an unbelievable feeling to get the job done. It was a tough race – slicks in the wet is possibly the worst scenario you can have while battling for the championship. Charles has done a great job this season, and we have worked hard to stay at the front from race 1. A huge thank you to 2 Seas Motorsport, who made the right calls throughout the race, and have done a great job all season.”

Kiern Jewiss, 2 Seas Motorsport driver, #42 Mercedes-AMG GT3.

“Firstly, a huge congratulation to Charles and Kiern. They have done an incredible job all year long, and have been there when it counts. From a debut race win, leading the championship all season, and bringing it home, they’ve done a great job. A big thanks and congratulations to Kevin and Max as well, pushing their teammates hard every week, in the fight to the very end, and proud to see the Bahrain flag on the podium once more to sign off the season. Both sides of the garage deserve huge credit, and a final big thank you to everyone at the team to secure our second Teams’ title. It takes a lot of effort, hard work and dedication, and the results over the weekend are credit to every single one of the team.”

Isa Al Khalifa, team co-owner, 2 Seas Motorsport

Far from resting on their laurels, the title winning pair of Charles and Kiern are immediately back in action this week, as the GT World Europe powered by AWS Endurance Cup comes to a conclusion. The pair will be joined for the final round by Nürburgring race-winner, Tom Lebbon.

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