Fortec Motorsport continued its strong run of form in the GB4 Championship at the weekend (25/26 May), as Linus Granfors took his fourth win in succession, as the series visited Donington Park.
Linus carried his strong run of form into the weekend after taking both victories last time out at Silverstone, and in the final race at Oulton Park to open the season. On Saturday morning he secured a double pole position, setting times nearly two tenths clear of his rivals. Dan Hickey qualified 12th, one row ahead of teammate Jack Taylor.
Linus got a great start to the first contest, while Jack and Dan both gained a place in the opening laps. Dan made a big pass on Brenden Templeton into the Melbourne Hairpin but had to concede the place just one corner later. At the front, Brendon McCaughan continued to keep Linus honest, the gap no bigger than a second between them all race. In the final laps he closed but Linus kept his cool to tie the GB4 Championship record for the most consecutive victories.
With rain falling overnight the three drivers would have to contend with wet conditions for both races on Sunday. Linus stalled at the start of race two, but was quick to get the car moving again, finishing the first lap in fifth place. He would cross the line fifth, but was promoted after post-race penalties, classified fourth. Meanwhile, Jack and Dan were moving through the field. Jack was impressing as he went from 15th to finish seventh, with Dan taking 10th.
Clearly enjoying the wet conditions, Jack continued to show off his skills in the final race, featuring the reverse grid. Starting third, he drove well to secure his best finish of the year so far with fifth place, while Dan scored another 10th. Linus had to battle his way through the pack after starting last and did well to finish ninth, before the red flag ended the race early.
The GB4 Championship side of the team will now have a seven-week pause in racing, until the rounds 10, 11 and 12 of the season at Snetterton in Norfolk, over July 13/14.
Linus Granfors #16
Race 1: Start – 1, Result – 1
Race 2: Start – 1, Result – 4
Race 3: Start – 15, Result – 9
Championship: 1 (203 points)
“It’s been a good weekend, with a double pole and a win, so it feels great. We just did the job. we really had good pace on qualifying and we carried that into the race. In the end I think the tyre was starting to overheat. I was trying to pull away in the beginning, but he [Brendon McCaughan] was so fast and right behind me the whole time. I had to have an eye on the mirrors, but it was good.
“I stalled the car at the start of race two. Then in the race we had understeer and oversteer in the tricky conditions, so finishing fourth was good. I got pushed off in the hairpin in the last race and I fell down a bit. On the last lap I tried to do overtaking at the first corner on the outside and we went onto the gravel, but then it was red flagged. Overall, it was a good weekend. The rain made it interesting and I’m happy with the win.”
Jack Taylor #50
Race 1: Start – 13, Result – 14
Race 2: Start – 15, Result – 7
Race 3: Start – 3, Result – 5
Championship: 1 (81 points)
“I didn’t have the best qualifying. Some of my laps got taken down due to track limits, but it was a fun first race. It was a bit unfortunate about the result as I had a lot of understeer towards the end. I locked once at the start and then I just made it worse and worse, and by the end I just had no front end, but I feel like I was making progress.
“I like the wet conditions a bit more. I had a lot more pace on Sunday, so I made up a few positions in race two. I dropped back a bit at the start of race three, but it was one of my best races so far. It was a good weekend.”
Dan Hickey #17
Race 1: Start – 14, Result – 12
Race 2: Start – 13, Result – 12
Race 3: Start – 2, Result – 10
Championship: 14 (67 points)
“Qualifying wasn’t great, but it was a good step forward from where we were in testing, so it’s progress. The track is a lot grippier compared to testing, it was warmer, and it was a lot more rubbered in for the first race, which was better. I made a few decent moves; it was just shame with the move on Templeton. I made a good lunge from far back into the last corner, so I thought ‘I’m gonna go for it’, and it worked, but he just caught me on the exit.
“The start wasn’t good to the second race as we were on the wet side, so I got a lot of wheelspin a couple cars got past. I had a little mistake at the chicane which then brought the rest of the pack quite close to me, so then I was having to defend by that point. Overall, we’ve made decent progress. It was good to have some good battles over the whole weekend, so it’s good to really get stuck in.”
