Charlotte Gilbert

Charlotte Gilbert is a British sports car racing driver and co-owner of Topcats Racing who made headlines in 2024 by claiming overall victory in the GT Cup UK Championship at age 50, beating higher-class GT3 and GTO machinery in her GTC-class Lamborghini Huracan Super Trofeo—a feat that cemented her remarkable comeback after a two-decade hiatus from competition.

EARLY YEARS

The early chapters of Charlotte Gilbert’s life remain largely unwritten in public records. Details about her childhood, family background, and formative years haven’t made their way into motorsport archives. What is known is that she first appeared in racing as Charlotte Osborn in 2001, suggesting her racing journey began in adulthood rather than through the typical karting-to-cars pipeline many drivers follow.

Unlike drivers who grow up around circuits or inherit petrol in their veins from racing families, Gilbert’s path to the cockpit appears to have been less conventional. There’s no documented history of childhood go-karting championships or teenage single-seater campaigns. Instead, her story picks up when she was already an adult, stepping into one of British motorsport’s most competitive arenas with apparent fearlessness.

OTHER INTERESTS

Beyond the track, Gilbert’s interests and activities remain as private as her early biography. What’s clear is that racing hasn’t been a solo obsession—she’s built a business around it, managing the operational side of Topcats Racing with the same commitment she brings to driving. For six years, she instructed approximately 400 enthusiasts during TVR Tuscan track day experiences at Silverstone GP and Donington circuits, suggesting an ability to communicate her passion for performance driving to others.

Gilbert handles the accounts, social media, customer relations, and events for Topcats Racing, indicating skills that extend well beyond heel-and-toe downshifts. The establishment of a TVR Service Division under the Topcats banner shows entrepreneurial instincts and mechanical appreciation, though whether this stems from lifelong technical curiosity or developed necessity isn’t documented.

EARLY SUCCESS

Charlotte Osborn’s introduction to competitive motorsport was baptism by fire wrapped in tragedy. In 2001, she was called up to replace Matt Bettley in the British GT Championship after Bettley was killed in a road accident during a Silverstone race weekend. It was a devastating circumstance that would have rattled anyone, yet Gilbert climbed into the Marcos Mantis and immediately showed pace that turned heads.

She wasn’t just filling a seat—she was competitive from the start, feisty on track, and earned respect from peers who recognized genuine talent when they saw it. That debut season included an overall race victory in a red-flagged, rain-affected race, proving she could handle both the pressure of high-level competition and the treacherous British weather that separates the committed from the merely brave.

In 2001, Gilbert also met Warren Gilbert, who was team manager for her Promotosport-sponsored British GT campaign. Romance bloomed in the paddock, and by 2002, the couple had married and established Topcats Racing together. That year marked her transition from hired gun to team owner-driver, competing in the inaugural Britcar Endurance Championship season and the TVR Tuscan Challenge with the Marcos Mantis GT that had served her so well.

Then, just as suddenly as she’d arrived, Gilbert stepped away from racing. For approximately 20 years, she concentrated on building Topcats Racing into a respected operation, converting TVR Tuscan cars for track days and developing the business side of motorsport. It wasn’t retirement—it was a different kind of race, one fought with spreadsheets and customer service rather than apexes and braking points.

NOTABLE ACHIEVEMENTS

• 2001: Overall race victory in British GT Championship (rain-affected, red-flagged race) driving Marcos Mantis as replacement for Matt Bettley
• 2002: Co-founded Topcats Racing with husband Warren Gilbert; competed in inaugural Britcar Endurance Championship and TVR Tuscan Challenge
• 2021: 2nd place in British GT Cup Championship GTB class (Topcats Racing, Marcos Mantis GT with Chevrolet LS7, 3 wins, 10 podiums, 1 pole position, 348 points over 23 races)
• 2023: 1st place in GT Cup Championship UK GTC class (Topcats Racing Lamborghini Huracan Super Trofeo, 318 points)
• 2024: 1st place in GT Cup UK Overall Championship with Tom Rawlings (GTC-class Lamborghini Huracan Super Trofeo defeating GT3 and GTO machinery); also won GTC class title; opened title defense with hat-trick of race victories
• Career: 82 podium finishes and 12 fastest laps across all competition (as documented through 2024)

INSPIRATIONS

The drivers, moments, or figures that lit the competitive fire in Charlotte Gilbert remain her own private knowledge. What’s documented is that Warren Gilbert entered her life at a pivotal moment in 2001, when she was navigating the emotional complexity of replacing a driver who’d died tragically. Whether their relationship influenced her racing journey or vice versa isn’t spelled out in interviews, but the partnership has endured both on the business side and presumably at home for over two decades.

REPUTATION

From her very first races, Gilbert earned respect for being genuinely fast, not just competent. Early observers in 2001 noted she was feisty on track but fun in the paddock—the kind of racer who races hard but doesn’t take herself so seriously that she forgets to enjoy it. Peers recognized real potential, even in those early appearances.

When she returned after her 20-year absence, now 50 years old and racing as a Bronze-ranked driver, the motorsport community took notice. Beating GT3 and GTO machinery while competing in the lower GTC class on challenging circuits isn’t a fluke—it’s skill, racecraft, and probably a healthy dose of courage. Media coverage of her return and subsequent championship victories has been consistently positive, celebrating both the comeback story and the pure speed she’s demonstrated.

Multiple sources describe her as an “accomplished sports car racing driver,” which in British motorsport parlance is restrained praise that actually means something. She’s built a reputation not just as a driver but as a team co-owner who understands the business, manages customer relationships, and somehow finds time to actually race competitively. Being described as a “sure fire Bronze ranked prospect” at 50 after two decades away is the kind of backhanded compliment that’s actually just a compliment—age and time away haven’t dulled her edge.

FUTURE GOALS/PLANS

As of 2025, Charlotte Gilbert continues as co-owner and driver for Topcats Racing, which is fielding Lamborghini Super Trofeo entries numbered 58, 23, and 81 in the GTC class. Beyond the basic framework of continued GT Cup competition, specific goals, championship ambitions, or long-term plans haven’t been publicly detailed. At 50, she’s defying typical career timelines—whether she plans to defend titles, chase more overall victories against higher-class machinery, or eventually transition fully to the team management role she’s already partially occupying remains to be seen.

What’s clear is that retirement doesn’t appear imminent. For someone who stepped away for 20 years and came back faster than before, the conventional wisdom about racing careers doesn’t seem to apply.

References:

DriverDB – Charlotte Gilbert Career Statistics
DailySportsCar – Charlotte Gilbert 2024 Championship Article
GT Cup UK – Topcats Racing Team Profile
Topcats Racing Official Website
Racers Behind The Helmet – Charlotte Gilbert 2024 Wins
Westcott VP – Charlotte Gilbert Business Profile