A podium finish and a solid haul of points were Fortec Motorsport’s reward on a topsy-turvy start to the 2023 GB4 Championship at Oulton Park this weekend [8-10 April].
Returning to defend the crown, the Daventry-based team showed serious pace during pre-event testing at the 2.6-mile Cheshire circuit, but ‘the lap’ just failed to materialise in qualifying.
In race trim, however, the team’s trio – Colin Queen, Ruhaan Alva, and Aditya Kulkarni – showed tremendous spirit and drive to make the best of a tricky start to the campaign.
Queen set the tone for the comeback with a stellar drive in the opening race, narrowly missing out on a podium despite matching the pace of the race leaders with a damaged steering column. He took fourth, with Alva and Kulkarni improving two places each to seventh and ninth.
When the action resumed on Easter Monday, a fast-starting Queen jumped into third, and looked to be hounding the top two, but in his charge to catch the leaders, the young American went off at Lodge, ending his race early.
Contact also put paid to Alva’s hopes, leaving Kulkarni the sole points finisher with an impressive seventh, the karting graduate having only limited testing in the GB4 car prior to the weekend.
Kulkarni would also start the reverse grid race from pole position but lost out in the run down to Old Hall. As he dropped back, Queen surged to the front, rising steadily through the order to third behind Reynolds.
Lap-on-lap, the pair circulated together split by a couple of tenths of a second, but an opportunity to pass didn’t materialise, and Queen was forced to settle for the final spot on the podium, but still the team’s first silverware of the new season.
Alva matched his best result of the weekend in seventh, with Kulkarni eventually taking the chequered flag in 11th.
Fortec Motorsport leave Oulton Park placed fourth in the Teams’ standings, with the next event to take place at Silverstone GP on 5 – 7 May.
View from the Cockpit
Aditya Kulkarni (#23) said:
“It’s been a good learning experience for me this weekend. With time, my confidence in the car will build and then I think we can show what we’re capable of.
“Thanks to the entire team at Fortec Motorsport for all their support and encouragement this weekend, and I look forward to making more progress at Silverstone.”
Ruhaan Alva (#27) said:
“Considering the amount of time we were able to have in the car prior to the race weekend, I think we can be satisfied with scoring good points.
“Particularly in that last race, making up two positions on the last lap, was a really strong note to end on. It’s been great experience, and I can’t wait to see where we can progress and develop to in the future.”
Colin Queen (#62) said:
“It’s great to leave Oulton Park with my first GB4 podium, and to end the weekend on a positive note. Qualifying put us on the back foot a little bit, we weren’t where we should have been.
“That made it incredibly tricky to pass and make progress, particularly on a circuit this narrow and with the typical, changeable British weather also in play.
“Ultimately, we’ve made some mistakes, but learnt from them and begun the process of bouncing back. We’ll debrief with the team and identify some areas we can work on, then come back stronger at Silverstone.”
Ollie Dutton, Team Principal said:
“It’s been a weekend where we haven’t perhaps hit our objectives, but I’m very proud of the team – on and off-circuit – for continuing to work hard and chip away to salvage a podium and some good points.
“A few mistakes have crept in, but that’s to be expected on the opening weekend of the season. We know the potential we have in this driver line-up, and we’ll keep developing them and progressing.
“I doubt it will be long before we’re celebrating a first win of the year, rather than a podium.”
