Hitech’s Deagen Fairclough extended his winning run in the GB3 with his third victory in four races in a superb Donington Park weekend opener.
Fairclough passed pole sitter Nikita Bedrin around the outside of Redgate on lap one, but Bedrin never allowed him to escape with the pair engaging in a sensational battle in the final half of the 25 minute race.
The pair first went wheel to wheel through the final corners of lap 11 with 10 minutes remaining, and Bedrin tried to go around the outside at turn one with use of DRS on lap 12, but Fairclough just about held him off.
Bedrin tried again in almost identical style on lap 16, but a lockup scuppered his chances as Fairclough slipped back through to hold his advantage. Both drivers were clearly on the ragged edge, with Bedrin hanging on to a lurid slide at Coppice, and Fairclough smoking his brakes at the Melbourne Hairpin.
The championship leader tried yet again on lap 18, and once more went for the outside line at Redgate, with Fairclough still resisting.
That proved the final try, as Fairclough held on to win, claiming his fourth win of the year by 0.317s, with Bedrin settling for second to extend his championship lead. Rodin’s Abbi Pulling made the most of a combative first lap to claim her second podium of the year in third.
Her Rodin Motorsport teammate Martin Molnar was fourth, moving up a spot after the other Rodin contender Maxim Rehm spun at the Melbourne Hairpin on lap seven while battling with Pulling, and pitted for repairs.
That allowed Xcel Motorsport's Lucas Fluxa to rise from eighth on the grid to fifth, while teammate Rowan Campbell maintained his sixth placed starting position.
Elite's Flynn Jackes claimed seventh place ahead of teammate Kyuho Lee, with Peter Bouzinelos (Hillspeed) and Patricio Gonzalez (VRD) completing the top-10.
The second race of the weekend is due to commence at 10.10 on Sunday morning.
GB3 Championship, partnered by the BRDC, Donington Park provisional race one result:
1. Deagen Fairclough, Hitech, 19 laps
2. Nikita Bedrin, VRD Racing, +0.317s
3. Abbi Pulling, Rodin Motorsport, +6.258s
4. Martin Molnar, Rodin Motorsport, +7.235s
5. Lucas Fluxa, Xcel Motorsport, +11.046s
6. Rowan Campbell-Pilling, Xcel Motorsport, +13.908s
7. Flynn Jackes, Elite Motorsport, +14.403s
8. Kyuho Lee, Elite Motorsport, +17.079s
9. Peter Bouzinelos, Hillspeed, +18.269s
10. Patricio Gonzalez, VRD Racing, +19.677s
11. Jacob Micallef, Hitech, +20.433s
12. Jack Taylor, Fortec Motorsports, +21.341s
13. Yuhao Fu, Hitech, +27.462s
14. Aurelia Nobels, Hillspeed, +28.083s
15. Dante Vinci, Hillspeed, +31.435s
16. Rodrigo Gonzalez, VRD Racing, +32.745s
17. Ricardo Baptista, Xcel Motorsport, +39.303s
18. Leon Wilson, Arden Motorsport, +44.723s
DNF. Maxim Rehm, Rodin Motorsport, 8 laps