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Freddie Slater Shines in GB3 at Silverstone

Freddie Slater delivered an outstanding performance, securing a double victory for himself and Hillspeed during the inaugural weekend for the new Tatuus MSV GB3-025 machine in GB3 at Silverstone.

Although Slater’s wins were expected given his success in Italian Formula 4, the impressive manner in which he clinched them garnered attention.

The 16-year-old driver began his campaign by dominating the two-part qualifying session, earning pole position for both races with a significant half-second lead.

In the first race, Slater faced initial pressure from JHR Developments’ Noah Lisle, who executed a strong move around the outside of Rodin Motorsport’s Gianmarco Pradel at Copse. However, Slater managed to maintain the lead, building a 1.8-second advantage right from the start. He continued to set faster times, ultimately crossing the finish line seven seconds ahead of the field. Lisle defended his position to secure second place, while Pradel completed the top three, marking podium finishes for both drivers on their debut.

Another debutant, Abbi Pulling, attempted to challenge Pradel early on at Becketts, but an error allowed Rodin teammate Alex Ninovic to rise to fourth, where they remained until the end.

Dominance at Silverstone

Photo by: JEP

In the second race, Slater’s potential for an even larger victory margin was cut short due to a collision between Xcel Motorsport’s Dion Gowda and Hitech’s Keanu Al Azhari, leading to the race concluding under the safety car. Prior to that, Slater had built an impressive 10-second lead. Lisle once again showcased his skills by overtaking Ninovic at Copse early on, finishing in second, while Hitech GP’s Nikita Johnson gained third after initially passing Ninovic, who later struggled and dropped back to fifth. Pulling benefited from a penalty against Kai Daryanani to finish sixth.

Following a stall early in race two, Elite Motorsport’s Will Macintyre executed a strong comeback, achieving his fourth GB3 victory in a reversed-grid scenario. Macintyre seized the lead shortly after the race commenced. Despite a slow start, polesitter Al Azhari managed to climb to second before incurring a penalty for exceeding track limits. This opened the door for Xcel’s Patrick Heuzenroeder and Daryanani, who finished second and third, respectively.

Slater advanced four positions to seventh before a late incident sent him and Johnson spiraling down the standings. Pradel suffered a retirement after colliding with Johnson during the chaos, and the other Rodin drivers faced their own misfortunes, with Pulling’s race ending after tangling with Gowda and Ninovic experiencing damage. Lisle’s race also concluded prematurely due to an opening-corner collision.

Deagen Fairclough, a pre-season title contender, encountered a challenging GB3 debut with Hitech, struggling for pace during qualifying and finishing 17th after a grid stall in the first race. After receiving special permission for an overnight car change, he started from the back for the following contests, finishing 15th in race two before a penalty dropped him back. He did, however, make a commendable charge to seventh in the final race.

Red Bull’s Coronel Dominates Ginetta Junior Events

Unstoppable Coronel

Photo by: JEP

In Ginetta Junior, Red Bull’s Rocco Coronel maintained his remarkable trajectory by winning all three races at Silverstone.

The R Racing driver secured his first victory by advancing from third place, utilizing strategic racing tactics in the opening corners. He assisted Ginetta scholarship winner Fred Green in overtaking Pace Performance’s polesitter Torrin Byrne at Maggotts before swiftly moving into second himself.

Coronel closely followed Green until seizing the lead on the penultimate lap, ultimately holding off Green’s fierce challenge to claim his third win of the season. Scott Kin Lindblom, another Red Bull Junior driver, was involved in an early incident with Byrne but rallied back to claim second place.

The second race marked Ginetta Junior’s 500th contest, with Coronel once again demonstrating dominance. Although his first attempt to take the lead was thwarted by the deployment of the safety car, he rapidly regained the front position once racing resumed, ultimately leading to another victory.

Green, however, faced misfortune, spinning out of contention before the end, while Joseph Smith narrowly secured second place over his Elite teammate Ethan Carney.

Coronel’s fifth consecutive victory came when he led from the start in the finale. Alfie Slater secured second place after successfully gaining four positions, followed closely by Smith and Proudford Nalder.

Elite’s Success in GB4 Continues

Photo by: JEP

While Elite Motorsport faced setbacks in Ginetta Junior, they found success in GB4, dominating the first two races of the weekend.

Alex Kattoulas transformed his pole position into a first career victory, propelling ahead amid a competitive four-way battle to finish 6.6 seconds clear of teammate Ary Bansal.

Isaac Phelps fought for third against Fortec’s Jack Taylor and ultimately finished fifth behind Arden’s Leon Wilson. Phelps rebounded effectively, claiming a win in race two by leading from the start and navigating two safety car restarts, securing another podium lockout for Elite with Kattoulas and Bansal in tow.

Daniel Guinchard of Hillspeed capitalized on a misstep from Jason Pribyl, seizing his first win in the reversed-grid race. Leandro Juncos completed the top three for Hillspeed, while Bansal rose to fourth, leaving the championship tight with Phelps, Kattoulas, and Guinchard all battling for position.

In the GT Academy, James Nicholas celebrated his first victory of the season by finishing ahead of Jamie Caudle and Charlie Digby in the opener. The second race saw Caudle take advantage of a clash among his rivals to claim victory, while Digby suffered suspension damage after colliding with Alex Deighton, who managed to maintain second position ahead of Joe Edge and Nicholas.

Archie Clark from MDD continued his unbeaten streak in the Ginetta GT Championship, winning both races to solidify his dominance.

Clark’s Unbeaten Streak

Photo by: JEP

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