Karter Lily-May Watkins will make her single-seater debut in 2025, as she moves up to the GB4 Championship with three-time team champions KMR Sport. The 17-year-old from Hertfordshire began karting in 2019 at Rye House and initially competed in one-day junior race events, where she was a podium finisher.
Having competed mainly in Esports throughout 2020, she resumed on-track activity at Rye House in 2021, finishing third overall in the Lando Cup with four podium finishes. Since then, she’s reached the semi-finals of the 2023 British Indoor Karting Championship and competed at the British Universities Karting Championship 24-hour race at the Teesside Autodrome.
Having also been a member of the Young Racing Driver Academy, and undergone significant levels of simulator training, Watkins began a test programme with previous generation GB4 machinery towards the end of 2024, her first days in a single-seater.
Having gained mileage in the new Tatuus MSV GB4-025 car in tests with KMR at Pembrey and Donington Park alongside the team’s 2023 champion Tom Mills, plus further running at Snetterton and Oulton Park in recent weeks, Lily has now completed a deal to race with the multiple GB4 champions for the full 2025 campaign. She joins Megan Bruce at the Gloucestershire squad, with a third driver due to be announced in the coming days.
Lily-May Watkins said: “I’m very excited to be making the step into GB4 with KMR for the 2025 season. I am looking forward to being part of such a successful but also welcoming team, and I’m eager to bring my best for them. The prospect of competing at this level and being part of a welcoming and inclusive category is something I have only dreamed of. I am excited to continue building across pre-season testing, learn from my teammates, and be ready for round one in a few weeks.”
“I look forward to working alongside such talented individuals and with their support I am excited to see what we can do together over the course of this year. GB4 will not only enhance my racing abilities but also provide me with invaluable experiences and memories. I am excited to develop, push my limits, and continuously improve throughout the season. The opportunity to represent GB4 is a dream come true, and I am excited to see what I can achieve.”
KMR Sport Team Principal Kevin Mills said: “We’re really looking forward to playing a part in Lily’s development this year. She’s obviously very new to car racing, but has achieved good results in club-level karting and really surprised us with her pace in our first tests together at Pembrey. Lily’s progress was clear to see at Snetterton last week with a near five second lap time gain across the two days.”
“We expect this to be a year of constant progress for Lily and she will be working closely with Tom throughout the year. With our help, we hope she will be able to work her way up the grid as the season goes on, especially based on her current progress rate.”
For more championship information, visit www.gb-4.net