KMR Sport’s Lucas Blakeley stormed to a crushing victory in the second GB4 race of the weekend at Silverstone, while Elite Motorsport’s Finn Harrison was triumphant in a dramatic event finale on the Grand Prix circuit. Blakeley’s win, over 15 seconds clear of the pack, established a new series record for the biggest winning margin in the championship’s history.
Race two
Championship leader Linus Granfors started from pole position, but Blakeley from second on the grid passed the Swede on the opening lap. Later round the first tour, Granfors encountered strife at Club corner, after Alisha Palmowski’s car came into contact with the Fortec, delaying both and causing suspension damage to Granfors machine.
Blakeley therefore scampered into the distance, lapping two seconds a lap quicker than the field to take his second win of the year by a record-breaking 15.4 seconds. Granfors, nursing a bent rear suspension arm, somehow held off a train of cars to strengthen his championship lead, taking second just ahead of main rival Harry Burgoyne (KMR). Harrison, Palmowski and Fox Motorsport’s Branden Templeton completed the top-six.
Race three
After an aborted start, Fox Motorsport's second-placed starter Megan Bruce initially led the full reverse contest, but only until Stowe on lap one, when Harrison from third on the grid blasted into the lead after holding off an attack from Fortec’s Jack Taylor.
The race was neutralised after a two car collision at Luffield, and when it restarted, Harrison pulled away to clinch his first single-seater win by just over four seconds. Taylor stood on the podium for the first time in GB4 with second place, ahead of Templeton, who had climbed up to third before the safety car.
Blakeley surged up from 11th to end his weekend with fourth place ahead of teammates Chloe Grant and Harry Burgoyne. Granfors holds a 15-point lead at the top of the championship standings over Burgoyne, with just six races remaining at Donington Park and Brands Hatch.
Race two winner Lucas Blakeley said: "Speechless. Wow. What a race. Thanks to KMR, that car is a dream to drive. To win here at Silverstone on the full layout in front of my Mum and Dad who’ve supported me from the first moment I set foot in a go-kart. I’m going to try and really savour this moment.
"I knew coming into the weekend it would probably be a bigger challenge [to win here]. Linus [Granfors’] pace was really strong and I knew a big opportunity was going to be the start. And I finally got on top it, had an amazing start and then just saw lots of battling in my mirrors. Then the gap kept opening up more and more and it was one of the most surreal experiences. I just kept my head down, didn’t get complacent. And I’m just very grateful for this result – thanks to the team and thanks to Mum and Dad. To stand on the podium in front of them is going to be one of the best moments of my life."
Race three winner Finn Harrison said: "It’s been deserved! We nearly did it at Oulton but had back luck. Silverstone [last time] we were really close, had a bit of a fall off the pace at Donington and it’s finally good I’ve been able to turn a victory around for the team, after all the hard work we’ve done.
"You’ve just got to keep at it. It’ll turn your way eventually. We’ve all worked really hard to get here all the way through. We’ve had a good package and it just turned round in race three."
GB4 Championship, partnered by the BRDC, Silverstone race two top-six:
1. Lucas Blakeley, KMR Sport, 9 laps
2. Linus Granfors, Fortec Motorsport, +15.449s
3. Harry Burgoyne, KMR Sport, +15.603s
4. Finn Harrison, Elite Motorsport, +15.902s
5. Alisha Palmowski, Elite Motorsport, +17.019s
6. Branden Templeton, Fox Motorsport, +19.119s
Click here for full result.
GB4 Championship, partnered by the BRDC, Silverstone race three top-six:
1. Finn Harrison, Elite Motorsport
2. Jack Taylor, Fortec Motorsport, +4.018s
3. Branden Templeton, Fox Motorsport, +4.703s
4. Lucas Blakeley, KMR Sport, +4.816s
5. Chloe Grant, KMR Sport, +5.944s
6. Harry Burgoyne, KMR Sport, +7.727s
Click here for full result.
GB4 Championship, partnered by the BRDC, driver's standings after race 15 of 21:
1. Linus Granfors, Fortec Motorsport, 321pts
2. Harry Burgoyne, KMR Sport, 306pts
3. Alisha Palmowski, Elite Motorsport, 290pts
4. Branden Templeton, Fox Motorsport, 232pts
5. Callum Baxter, Graham Brunton Racing, 207pts
6. Finn Harrison, Elite Motorsport, 172pts
Click here for full standings
GB4 Championship, partnered by the BRDC, team's standings after race 15 of 21:
1. KMR Sport, 659pts
2. Fortec Motorsport, 484pts
3. Elite Motorsport, 462pts
4. Fox Motorsport, 408pts
5. Graham Brunton Racing, 288pts
6. Arden Motorsport, 119pts
Click here for full standings
For more championship information, visit www.gb-4.net