GB3 CHAMPIONSHIP RACES 2 & 3 SNETTERTON

August 8, 2021
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Formula 1
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MeDIA RELEASE/GB3 – Photo: GB3 website

RACE TWO

Hitech GP’s Sebastian Alvarez converted pole position into victory in the second GB3 Championship race of the weekend at Snetterton.

The race two grid was determined by each driver’s second fastest time in qualifying. The Mexican driver was beaten off the line by Fortec’s Oliver Bearman, but a car issue at the end of the second lap for the British driver allowed Alvarez to fly past.

Alvarez then led the rest of the race, holding off pressure from Carlin’s championship leader Zak O’Sullivan who claimed his first podium finish of the weekend.

Roman Bilinski completed the podium for Arden Motorsport with the top three a good distance clear of the opposition.

Local driver Tom Lebbon claimed fourth for Elite Motorsport ahead of Arden’s Frederick Lubin.

A battle for sixth saw Carlin’s Bryce Aron claim the position, having held off the advances of Ayrton Simmons for much of the second half of the race. The American finished half a second clear of the Chris Dittmann Racing driver, with Roberto Faria (Fortec) in eighth and the Elite pair of Jose Garfias and Javier Sagrera within touching distance.

Bearman made a good start from second place to take the lead on the run down to Riches on the first lap. The young British contender led the first lap by over half a second, but coming round to complete the second tour, he slowed mysteriously and Alvarez blasted past. He tried to continue but was forced to retire after three laps.

Alvarez then had to fend off major pressure from O’Sullivan, who was out to make amends after yesterday’s 17th place finish. The championship leader got as close as two tenths of a second, but Alvarez kept his cool to hold the lead and take his maiden victory at this level.

The final race of the weekend, the reverse grid contest, starts at 14.20 with Fortec’s Mikkel Grundtvig on pole.

GB3 Championship, Snetterton race two result:
1. Sebastian Alvarez, Hitech GP, 10 laps
2. Zak O’Sullivan, Carlin, +0.390s
3. Roman Bilinski, Arden Motorsport, +0.909s
4. Tom Lebbon, Elite Motorsport, +3.440s
5. Frederick Lubin, Arden Motorsport, +6.708s
6. Bryce Aron, Carlin, +9.068s
7. Ayrton Simmons, Chris Dittmann Racing, +9.666s
8. Roberto Faria, Fortec Motorsports, +10.097s
9. Jose Garfias, Elite Motorsport, +10.859s
10. Javier Sagrera, Elite Motorsport, +11.484s
11. Christian Mansell, Carlin, +13.312s
12. Bart Horsten, Hitech GP, +13.509s
13. Reece Ushijima, Hitech GP, +14.394s
14. Branden Lee Oxley, Chris Dittmann Racing, +16.425s
15. Tommy Smith, Douglas Motorsport, +22.508s
16. Mikkel Grundtvig, Fortec Motorsports, +25.728s
17. Reema Juffali, Douglas Motorsport, +28.588s
DNF. Oliver Bearman, Fortec Motorsports, 3 laps completed

RACE THREE

Arden Motorsport’s Roman Bilinski claimed his second win of the season in an entertaining final GB3 Championship race of the weekend at Snetterton.

The Polish racer started third on the grid, determined by the reversal of the qualifying order, but took the lead at the start of the second lap and finished over six seconds clear of Carlin’s championship leader Zak O’Sullivan, with Fortec’s Roberto Faria completing the podium.

Faria headed a train of cars across the line, with Sebastian Alvarez backing his race two victory up with fourth place, half a second clear of Elite’s Tom Lebbon, while Chris Dittmann Racing’s Ayrton Simmons was sixth having started 16th.

Arden’s Frederick Lubin started 17th but shot to seventh ahead of Elite’s Jose Garfias. Mikkel Grundtvig started from pole for Fortec and led the first lap, but finished ninth after resisting massive pressure from several drivers throughout the 10 lap contest.

Carlin’s Christian Mansell gained five places to complete the race three top-10.

Grundtvig made the best start of the front-runners on the grid to lead the first lap, but it was Bilinski who was making an instant impression, climbing two places on the opening tour and crossing the line just a tenth of a second behind the Danish driver.

Bilinski made the move stick at Riches and then pulled away as Grundtvig became the cork in the bottle. Grundtvig held his spot on the podium all the way through to lap seven, when teammate Ollie Bearman fought his way past on the run to Riches having carved his way through from 11th on the grid to second.

By this point, Bilinski had a lead of over six seconds, and though Bearman trimmed half a second off the lead on lap eight, the British driver then spun away second place on lap nine as rain began to fall on certain parts of the circuit and dropped to 14th.

The rain was such that lap times increased by over 10 seconds, with the field having to tip-toe around the circuit on the final lap. Bilinski ultimately claimed victory and his third podium of the weekend by 6.1 seconds. Bearman’s drama meant that O’Sullivan completed his recovery from yesterday to extend his championship lead yet further with his second successive second place.

GB3 Championship, Snetterton, race three provisional result:
1. Roman Bilinski, Arden Motorsport, 10 laps
2. Zak O’Sullivan, Carlin, +6.185s
3. Roberto Faria, Fortec Motorsports, +7.659s
4. Sebastian Alvarez, Hitech GP, +8.008s
5. Tom Lebbon, Elite Motorsport, +8.547s
6. Ayrton Simmons, Chris Dittmann Racing, +8.771s
7. Frederick Lubin, Arden Motorsport, +9.310s
8. Jose Garfias, Elite Motorsport, +9.506s
9. Mikkel Grundtvig, Fortec Motorsports, +10.855s
10. Christian Mansell, Carlin, +11.505s
11. Reece Ushijima, Hitech GP, +11.603s
12. Branden Lee Oxley, Chris Dittmann Racing, +12.251s
13. Bryce Aron, Carlin, +14.162s
14. Oliver Bearman, Fortec Motorsports, +15.608s
15. Tommy Smith, Douglas Motorsport, +16.982s
16. Bart Horsten, Hitech GP, +19.158s
17. Reema Juffali, Douglas Motorsport, +20.803s
18. Javier Sagrera, Elite Motorsport, +1m10.082s

Aussie Christan Mansell has retained his second place in the championship after a not so successful weekend, Bart Horsten has fallen to 9th place. The series heads to Silverstone next weekend.

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