The GB3 Championship rolled into Brands Hatch last weekend, and it was Alex Ninovic who emerged with a double victory.
The Bank Holiday weekend crowds were treated to some thrilling racing around the Brand Hatch GP circuit.
Rodin Motorsport’s Alex Ninovic took the clear upper-hand in this year’s GB3 Championship title race, with his sixth win of the season in race two at Brands Hatch on Sunday afternoon.
VRD Racing’s Enzo Tarnvanichkul then blasted to victory in the top-12 reverse grid finale, which also produced breakthrough podiums for Jack Sherwood and Abbi Pulling.
Ninovic kept his nose clean in a chaotic contest, and now holds a commanding 71-point lead at the top of the standings, the equivalent of more than two race wins.
Race two
From his second pole position of the weekend, Ninovic controlled race two in a similar style to his victory yesterday. He made a great start, did the same after an early safety car, and then pulled out a comfortable margin to Hillspeed’s Freddie Slater.
Slater wasn’t able to match the Australian’s pace and had to settle for second place, while Hitech TGR’s Deagen Fairclough ensured that the race two podium was a duplicate of the top-three from Saturday’s opener.
Behind the podium trio, Xcel Motorsport’s Patrick Heuzenroeder held off a race-long challenge from countryman Gianmarco Pradel’s Rodin car, with Hillspeed’s Hiyu Yamakoshi completing the top-six.
Race three
In a frantic finale, Tarnvanichkul made a rapid start from second on the grid to snatch the lead from Xcel’s pole sitter Sherwood at Paddock Hill Bend, while Elite’s Will Macintyre held third.
As Tarnvanichkul disappeared into the distance, Macintyre applied big pressure to Sherwood, but ended his race in the gravel at Hawthorns, bouncing across the run-off at high speed and bringing out the first safety car.
When racing resumed, JHR’s Kai Daryanani and Hitech’s Fairclough also came to trouble at Hawthorns, promoting Pulling to third and dropping Fairclough to the tail of the field. Moments later, a further incident between Pradel and Heuzenroeder brought out the safety car for a second time.
The race effectively ended under neutralised conditions, with the track cleared but Tarnvanichkul controlling the restart to ensure he crossed the line to finish without needing to complete a lap at racing speed. Sherwood in second and Pulling in third ensured all three drivers earned their first podiums.
Hillspeed’s Hiyu Yamakoshi took fourth, while Daryanani salvaged fifth despite his drama. Yamakoshi’s teammate Freddie Slater made moves up the field to sixth from 11th.
Double race winner Ninovic said: “It’s been the perfect weekend we could have hoped for, and I can’t be happier. The car feels amazing, I’m on point this weekend, and everything’s come together really well. It shows from the two qualifying sessions and then the two wins in the races with a nice margin, I can’t complain about anything.
“Together, double pole and double win, it definitely ranks as probably my best weekend [of his career] so far. I’m just extremely excited, I’m super happy with the result and it obviously gives us some good points in the championship.”
Images courtesy of Jakob Ebrey Photography