GB3: Luke Browning extends championship lead with Snetterton victory
A win in race two and a controlled drive in the final contest of the weekend means Hitech GP’s Luke Browning leaves Snetterton with an extended GB3 Championship lead.
Browning held off the attentions of main title rival Joel Granfors in the second race of the weekend, held this morning, and then took home a 14th place finish, ahead of the Swedish driver in the final contest, won by Fortec’s Mikkel Grundtvig. Both races were decided by little over two tenths of a second.
Browning’s championship lead now stands at 11 points, heading to Spa-Francorchamps on 23/24 July.
Race two
Polesitter Browning resisted a race-long challenge from Granfors in this morning’s race to claim his third victory of the year following a double at Oulton Park on Easter weekend. The pair operated almost as one for the entire race, and even made contact on the high-speed approach to Riches towards the end of the contest, as the British driver claimed victory by less than a quarter of a second.
The battle at the front allowed Carlin’s Javier Sagrera and JHR’s Matthew Rees to join the lead scrap on occasion, with Sagrera earning his best result of the season in third with Rees tucked in behind, having fancied a go at the lead on the run to Riches on lap one, before being shuffled down to fourth.
Tom Lebbon claimed fifth for Elite Motorsport at his local circuit ahead of Arden’s Alex Connor, with Carlin’s Roberto Faria and Arden’s Nico Christodoulou right behind.
Race three
The full reverse grid based on the inverse qualifying result put Fortec’s Grundtvig on pole for the final race, and the Danish driver took advantage to lead every lap on the way to his second win of the season and the fourth reverse grid victory of his GB3 career.
But it was far from simple, as he had to absorb massive pressure from Douglas Motorsport’s Marcos Flack and Elite Motorsport’s James Hedley, as they swarmed all over the back of the Fortec machine for the whole race.
The trio were covered by less than a second for much of the 20-minute affair, as Grundtvig claimed the win by 0.253 seconds, with Flack taking second and a maiden GB3 podium, only half a second clear of Hedley, another first-time podium finisher.
Tommy Smith (Douglas) was a second away from the podium in fourth and two tenths of a second ahead of Chris Dittmann Racing’s McKenzy Cresswell in fifth, and Fortec’s Zak Taylor taking sixth.
Race two winner Browning said: “It was a good race, Joel was really quick, as expected coming into the weekend. Obviously it’s difficult to overtake around here and I was just keeping my head down and looking forward. It might not have been the cleanest race, but it’s a win.”
Race three winner Grundtvig said: “The team and I have worked very hard all weekend to focus on race three, so I’m very happy with this race. I’ve had it a few times now in the reverse, starting from pole or the top-three, and I think this is the best race I have ever done.”
GB3 Championship, partnered by the BRDC, Snetterton race two top-six:
1. Luke Browning, Hitech GP, 12 laps
2. Joel Granfors, Fortec Motorsport, +0.235s
3. Javier Sagrera, Carlin, +1.463s
4. Matthew Rees, JHR Developments, +1.946s
5. Tom Lebbon, Elite Motorsport, +6.864s
6. Alex Connor, Arden Motorsport, +7.607s
Click here for full result.
GB3 Championship, partnered by the BRDC, Snetterton race three top-six:
1. Mikkel Grundtvig, Fortec Motorsport, 10 laps
2. Marcos Flack, Douglas Motorsport, +0.253s
3. James Hedley, Elite Motorsport, +0.786s
4. Tommy Smith, Douglas Motorsport, +1.753s
5. McKenzy Cresswell, Chris Dittmann Racing, +1.997s
6. Zak Taylor, Fortec Motorsport, +4.335s
Click here for full result
GB3 Championship, standings after race 12 of 24:
1. Luke Browning, Hitech GP, 239pts
2. Joel Granfors, Fortec Motorsport, 228pts
3. Roberto Faria, Carlin, 187pts
4. Max Esterson, Douglas Motorsport, 181pts
5. Callum Voisin, Carlin, 172pts
6. Tom Lebbon, Elite Motorsport, 165pts
Click here for full standings
GB3 Championship, Teams’ standings after race 12 of 24:
1. Carlin, 408pts
2. Hitech GP, 380pts
3. Fortec Motorsport, 363pts
4. Elite Motorsport, 356pts
5. Douglas Motorsport, 295pts
6. Arden Motorsport, 234pts
Click here for full standings
For more championship information visit www.gb-3.net.