Fortec Motorsport heads to Silverstone, Northamptonshire this weekend (14-15 August) aiming for a continuation of its recent race-winning form in the GB3 Championship.
The Daventry-based team have enjoyed a trip to the winner’s circle in each of the past three meetings at Donington Park, Spa-Francorchamps and Snetterton, each yielding a maiden triumph for Mikkel Grundtvig, Roberto Faria and Ollie Bearman respectively.
That, plus a further four podium finishes in the same period, have marked out the team’s trio as ‘ones to watch’ heading to Silverstone, home of the Formula 1 ® British Grand Prix, for another action-packed triple header this weekend.
Faria currently leads the team’s charge in the standings and scored the most points of any driver in the top four last time out. That, plus a record of three podiums from six starts in the UK’s premier single seater series in Northamptonshire, will fuel the Brazilian rising star’s optimism heading into the weekend.
Misfortune prevented Bearman from a shot at victory in all three races in Norfolk last time out, but the runaway Italian F4 leader returns for a third outing of the campaign aiming for similar heights.
And for Grundtvig, Silverstone offers another opportunity to continue making strides towards the front, including – crucially – a first ‘repeat venue’ for the Danish racer, giving him a more even footing with the competition after completing far less pre-season mileage.
Following two days of pre-event testing around the 3.6-mile GP circuit, qualifying marks the start of competitive action at 11:50 on Saturday, with the first race to follow later that afternoon at 14:45.
Two further races follow on Sunday at 11:35 and 14:55 respectively (all times BST), with live coverage available on GB3’s YouTube channel and social media platforms.
Oliver Dutton, Team Manager said:
“As a team, we’re really looking forward to Silverstone this weekend. We’ve been on a really good run in the GB3 Championship, so the objective is to keep that going.
“Roberto has a really good track record around Silverstone, with three podiums from six starts, and it’ll be great for Mikkel to return to a circuit for the first time as a benchmark for his progress, which has been considerable.
“Ollie was unlucky to not have at least one more victory last weekend, so I’m sure he’ll arrive fired up and ready to put that right.”
Roberto Faria (#7) said:
“I’m really looking forward to this weekend at Silverstone; it’s been a good circuit for me in GB3 in the past, so I’m aiming to repeat and improve on those performances this weekend.
“I know the team will provide me with a strong car, so now the focus is on preparing properly during testing to ensure we can attack the weekend from the start.”
Mikkel Grundtvig (#43) said:
“It’s really valuable for me to head back to the same circuit, so this weekend at Silverstone will be a useful benchmark in how my development in the GB3 car is progressing.
“I’m feeling optimistic, having raced here earlier in the season, I have the benefit of knowing which specific areas to work on in testing, which is an advantage I haven’t had so far.
“Overall, it should be a good weekend.”
Ollie Bearman (#87) said:
“I’m definitely feeling motivated after my first pole position and race win in GB3 last weekend to go out and push the limits even further at Silverstone.
“We were unlucky not to leave Snetterton with even more, so there’s a part of me looking to make up for that this weekend, but the most important thing is I continue to build up my mileage in the car and gain experience.
“The team has a very strong record at Silverstone, not least this season, so I’m looking forward to hopefully adding to that.”
