Fortec Motorsport begins its defence of the GB4 Championship when the 2023 season gets underway at Oulton Park this Easter weekend [8-10 April].
The Daventry-based team stormed to the inaugural crown with Nikolas Taylor in 2022, picking up nine race victories in the process. But that was then, and this is now, and the team makes the journey to the 2.6-mile Cheshire circuit with an all-new trio behind the wheel.
Colin Queen was one of the standout performers on the UK’s highly-competitive Formula Ford stage last season, finishing runner-up in the National series. The American racer also won MSV’s £20,000 GB4 scholarship, helping to secure his spot on the grid for the upcoming campaign.
Queen has shown tremendous pace in pre-season testing, consistently featuring at the top end of the timesheets, and will likely be among the favourites.
Two late additions will line-up alongside him, the first being Ruhaan Alva. The Indian teenager makes the full-time step into single seaters from karting, having recently represented his nation at the second edition of the FIA Motorsport Games in Marseille, France.
That also garnered attention from Formula 1, with Alva scouted and evaluated by the Ferrari Driver Academy for the Asia-Pacific zone at the end of last year.
British Karting Championship graduate Aditya Kulkarni rounds out the trio, fresh from finishing 7th in a bumper 73-driver field in Junior Rotax. Both are late to the pre-season programme and will need to get up to speed, but with Fortec’s in-house driver development team will no doubt be fighting at the front before long.
Kicking off the seven-event, 21-race season is the fast, flowing International loop at Oulton Park, with GB4 featuring on the undercard for the British GT Championship and GB3.
The competitive action begins with qualifying at 12:10 on Saturday, ahead of the opening race at 17:15. After a break for Easter Sunday, action resumes on Monday with two further contests at 12:10 and 17:05.
Live coverage of all races is available and free-to-air on MSV TV’s YouTube channel.
View from the Cockpit
Aditya Kulkarni (#23) said:
“I’m really excited to be making the step up to the GB4 Championship this year.
“I started in karting quite late, and I’ve also had to miss a lot of pre-season testing this year, so I’m very thankful for the last-minute opportunity to make the step into single seaters.
“Even better for me, I’m with one of the best teams in the country in Fortec Motorsport, and their driver development programme will definitely help me to make up for lost time. I’m very excited for this next step in my career and can’t wait to share it with all my fans.”
Ruhaan Alva (#27) said:
“I’m really excited to be racing in the GB4 Championship this year.
“And even more so because it’s with such a fantastic team as Fortec Motorsport. I know I will be able to learn and develop a lot here as a driver, and the standard of competition is incredibly high, which was another big draw for me.
“The UK has so many famous circuits, and they’re really difficult to master. The aim is to use this as a springboard and to be as successful in single seaters as we have been throughout karting.”
Colin Queen (#62) said:
“It’s been a long winter, but I’m really looking forward to starting the GB4 Championship at Oulton Park this weekend.
“We’ve prepared really well during the off-season, and I’m running with the title-winning team from last year, so we’re in a good place and have all the ingredients to have a really enjoyable year.
“Of course, it’s going to be super competitive as it always is with this series, but I’m excited and can’t wait to see where we stack up against the competition.”
Oliver Dutton, Team Principal said:
“It’s been great to see a late flurry of entries into GB4, including two promising young drivers for us, and I think it’s shaping up to be a tremendous season.
“Of course, Colin’s had a full winter with the team to prepare, so naturally I think he’s best placed to hit the ground running this weekend, but Aditya and Ruhaan have loads of potential to develop as the year goes on.
“We’re aiming to retain the title we won last year, and having three cars fighting towards the sharp end will be a big part of realising that.”
