MEDIA RELEASE/GB3 – Photo: supplied

Fortec Motorsports’ returnee Oliver Bearman claimed a pole position and a victory in the GB3 Championship at Snetterton Saturday.

The British driver secured race one pole early in a wet qualifying session, which he then converted into a maiden win at this level in significantly better conditions this afternoon. 

Championship contenders Zak O’Sullivan and Reece Ushijima collided for the second time this season in the race, with Ushijima failing to finish and leaving O’Sullivan only 16th.

Qualifying
The 20-minute qualifying session started in damp conditions, and with the rain intensifying, each driver’s best times came in the opening seven minutes. 

Bearman claimed race one pole with just his second lap, which was eight tenths of a second faster than Hitech GP’s Sebastian Alvarez. The Mexican claimed pole for race two (which starts tomorrow morning) courtesy of his second fastest lap time. 

Tom Lebbon (Elite Motorsport) was third quickest in the session at his local track, though he started race one from second courtesy of a five place grid penalty Alvarez carried over from Spa. Roberto Faria (Fortec), series newcomer Branden Lee Oxley (CDR) and Javier Sagrera (Elite) completed the qualifying top-six. 

Race one
Bearman made a good start from pole, while Faria blasted past Lebbon to take second. Bearman led by over two seconds at the end of the first lap, though an error at the Wilson hairpin on lap four allowed Faria to edge closer. 

The British driver pulled away again, though Faria upped the pace towards the end of the 10 lap contest, setting fastest lap in the process. The Brazilian finished just over a second behind his teammate, securing Fortec’s second consecutive 1-2 finish after their podium lockout at Spa. 

Arden’s Roman Bilinski climbed from ninth on the grid to run fifth at the end of lap one. He then passed O’Sullivan and Sagrera on lap two to claim third, which he held until the flag. 

A revised timetable for tomorrow (Sunday local time) means race two starts at 12.05, with the final contest of the weekend to follow at 14.20. 

Aussie drivers Christain Mansell, Bart Horsten and newby Tommy Smith didn’t feature in the top 6 this time round, Mansell was 7th, Horsten was 10th and Smith came home in 12th, a great result for his first time out.

Bearman said: “That was a tough race, conditions were pretty much all over the place! Typical British weather, we got some rain in the middle which made it quite tough, but come the end it started to dry again.

“I made a mistake about four laps in when the rain came down at turn two, I just ran a bit wide and had a little lock up. But from that point I was just managing the gap and he (Faria) didn’t seem like a threat so I just kept managing it and brought it home.”

GB3 Championship, Snetterton qualifying fastest times (race one grid):
1. Oliver Bearman, Fortec Motorsports, 1m57.338s
2. Sebastian Alvarez, Hitech GP, +0.884s
3. Tom Lebbon, Elite Motorsport, +1.078s
4. Roberto Faria, Fortec Motorsports, +1.205s
5. Brandon Lee Oxley, Chris Dittmann Racing, +1.676s
6. Javier Sagrera, Elite Motorsport, +2.406s

GB3 Championship, Snetterton, race one top-six:
1. Oliver Bearman, Fortec Motorsports, 10 laps
2. Roberto Faria, Fortec Motorsports, +1.141s
3. Roman Bilinski, Arden Motorsport, +13.389s
4. Sebastian Alvarez, Hitech GP, +13.811s
5. Branden Lee Oxley, Chris Dittmann Racing, +17.107s
6. Ayrton Simmons, Chris Dittmann Racing, +17.466s

GB3 Championship, top-six drivers’ standings after race 13 of 24
1. Zak O’Sullivan, Carlin, 298pts
2. Christian Mansell, Carlin, 227pts
3. Reece Ushijima, Hitech GP, 216pts
4. Roberto Faria, Fortec Motorsports, 197pts
5. Bart Horsten, Hitech GP, 174pts
6. Ayrton Simmons, Chris Dittmann Racing, 164pts

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