The 2023 GB4 Championship comes to a conclusion at Donington Park this weekend (21-22 October) with three drivers fighting for the runner-up spot, while a fresh crop of promising newcomers joins the series ahead of planned 2024 campaigns, amidst a 16-car entry set to do battle.
After a dominant season in which he’s claimed 10 wins, KMR Sport’s Tom Mills wrapped up the championship title last time out at Brands Hatch, and in doing so, will claim his championship trophy on Sunday afternoon. He will also receive a £50,000 contribution towards either a British F4 or a GB3 drive for next season, should he secure such an opportunity.
With the title already sewn up, attentions now turn towards the battle for second place between Cooper Webster (Evans GP), Liam McNeilly (Fox Motorsport) and Colin Queen (Fortec).
Australian Webster holds a decent 40-point advantage over McNeilly, but with 105 points up for grabs this weekend, there’s every chance the picture could change, especially as the resurgent McNeilly is on a run of five consecutive podiums spanning events at Silverstone and Brands Hatch. Both drivers are double winners this season, and know any further triumphs this weekend will be key for their personal battle.
Queen meanwhile has yet to win, but has been supremely consistent, taking eight podiums so far. The American is 43 points behind McNeilly, but is almost guaranteed a championship top-four finish at least.
His teammate Aditya Kulkarni is looking for a first win of the season, and heads to the round fresh off the back of a third podium finish of the season in the most recent race at Brands Hatch. The Indian driver is just six points clear of Graham Brunton Racing’s Harry Burgoyne Jnr, who is targeting a breakthrough first podium, with Jack Clifford (KMR Sport) and Sid Smith (Fox) also looking to achieve that honour, with all showing rapid progression in recent races.
Privateer Dylan Hotchin aims to finish his first campaign of single-seater racing on a high, and his scraps with Evans GP’s Thomas Lee have been among some of the more entertaining battles of the season.
VRD Racing’s Zack Ping enters his third GB4 event after moving over from the USA, and he’s targeting a breakthrough podium after qualifying on the second row last time out.
Meanwhile, F1 Esports champion Lucas Blakeley returns to the GB4 grid with KMR Sport, after making his debut with the team back at the Snetterton round in June. There, he impressed by qualifying fourth on the grid for his slicks and wings debut, before taking two seventh places. Since then, the 21-year-old has claimed a victory in the National Formula Ford Championship, and an additional podium last time out at Silverstone.
After a decent debut weekend at Brands Hatch, Sebastian Murray is also back for Graham Brunton Racing, with the young UAE-based Scotsman looking to improve on a best finish of ninth.
Then we come to the newcomers, and there’s quite a few of them as the grid offers a glimpse towards the 2024 season. A second privateer entry joins the field in the form of Ginetta GT graduate Lexie Belk, the fifth female to race in GB4 since the series’ inception last year. She’s already enjoyed good seat time in her ex-Hillspeed machine around Donington Park, and is aiming to impress during her first single-seater race event as she looks to return next year.
Elite Motorsport also hands a single-seater debut to Finn Harrison, who has raced in the Ginetta Junior Championship this season, taking four podiums in the process. He’s another to have enjoyed a bit of GB4 seat time in recent weeks, and keep an eye out for his Nigel Mansell-inspired helmet design! The team has also added double Radical champion Theo Micouris to its line-up, with the youngster having won both the Radical Cup UK and SR1 Cup categories this season.
Finally, Fortec Motorsport expands back to a three car line-up with the addition of karting graduate Dan Hickey, who is another to make a car racing debut this weekend. The British driver has tested GB4 machinery with the team extensively over the past 18 months, getting closer to the pace as time has gone by, and now has the chance to test his mettle in wheel to wheel competition.
With scores still to be settled, and a big influx of newcomers, it promises to be an intriguing weekend of action from a grid full of aspiring young F1 stars.
GB4’s final event of the season will comprise of three races, with the first coming at 5pm on Saturday evening, with two more on Sunday at 11.11am and at 5.01pm. All will be shown live on the GB4 Championship website www.gb-4.net, as well as on the GB4 Facebook page and MSV TV YouTube channel.
GB4 Championship, partnered by the BRDC, Donington Park entry list:
#3, Jack Clifford, KMR Sport
#10, Daniel Hickey, Fortec Motorsport (new entry)
#15, Aditya Kulkarni, Fortec Motorsport
#18, Finn Harrison, Elite Motorsport (new entry)
#19, Theo Micouris, Elite Motorsport (new entry)
#37, Cooper Webster, Evans GP
#48, Liam McNeilly, Fox Motorsport
#50, Dylan Hotchin, Dylan Hotchin Racing
#56, Thomas Lee, Evans GP
#62, Colin Queen, Fortec Motorsport
#68, Harry Burgoyne Jnr, Graham Brunton Racing
#88, Lucas Blakeley, KMR Sport
#91, Sebastian Murray, Graham Brunton Racing
#97, Zack Ping, VRD Racing (new entry)
#98, Lexie Belk, Belk Racing
#99, Sid Smith, Fox Motorsport