Fortec’s Nikolas Taylor dominated the third GB4 race of the weekend to secure a victory hat-trick at Silverstone this weekend, the first driver to complete that feat in the championship.
From seventh on the grid, he claimed the lead by the end of the first lap and shot into the distance to win over 10 seconds clear of main title rival Max Marzorati, while Jarrod Waberski pulled off a last lap move to claim the final spot on the podium.
Waberski denied Hillspeed’s Megan Gilkes a second podium of the weekend with his last ditch move, with Gilkes having to settle for second but just a tenth of a second behind, while Jack Sherwood claimed fifth for Elite, with seven tenths of a second covering Marzorati in second and Sherwood in fifth at the chequered flag.
Tom Mills ran as high as second for Kevin Mills Racing but fell to sixth inside one lap and finished there, while Logan Hannah ended the first lap in third and finished seventh after running wide early on at Aintree.
Marcus Short got his elbows out on the way to eighth as he ended his debut weekend in strong style, finishing three tenths of a second ahead of Fortec’s Jessica Edgar.
Pole sitter Chloe Grant held her own at the front of the field for several laps and looked on course for a podium before being shuffled down to 10th ahead of front row starter Christian Lester, who stalled at the start but still managed to bring the car home to take 11th.
Taylor’s fast start put him third by Maggotts and Becketts on the first lap, and he then dispatched Short at Stowe, with Mills following through at Village and completing the move at Brooklands. Grant had built a decent lead on the first lap, but Taylor closed it rapidly and was able to draw alongside on the run down to the same corner. Grant fought her corner but Taylor went around the outside at Luffield and crossed the line fractions ahead.
Further behind, a three wide battle at Brooklands saw Hannah jump into third by passing Mills and Short, but a lap later it was Mills in third and Marzorati fourth as Hannah ran wide.
By this point, Taylor had already established a two second lead, and while the drivers behind squabbled, the Anglo-Malaysian was able to build a massive lead, sometimes by a whole second a lap, ultimately crossing the line 10.3 seconds clear of the opposition.
Marzorati’s rise to second saw him move into the podium places on lap four, and then passed Mills on lap seven, starting his move at Copse and completing it at Becketts. Mills was demoted from second to sixth on that lap, as Gilkes, Waberski and Sherwood found their way past. Despite the fierce nature of the battle, the positions remained the same until the last lap, when Waberski again pulled a last ditch move to claim a podium spot with his move on Gilkes.
That didn’t take attentions away from Taylor though, with his unique treble ensuring he takes a strengthened championship lead to Brands Hatch on 10-11 September.
GB4 Championship, partnered by the BRDC, Silverstone race three provisional result:
1. Nikolas Taylor, Fortec Motorsport, 9 laps
2. Max Marzorati, Hillspeed, +10.360s
3. Jarrod Waberski, Kevin Mills Racing, +10.617s
4. Megan Gilkes, Hillspeed, +10.735s
5. Jack Sherwood, Elite Motorsport, +10.994s
6. Tom Mills, Kevin Mills Racing, +13.000s
7. Logan Hannah, Graham Brunton Racing, +15.542s
8. Marcus Short, Hillspeed, +17.260s
9. Jessica Edgar, Fortec Motorsport, +17.564s
10. Chloe Grant, Graham Brunton Racing, +21.590s
11. Christian Lester, Rossoverde Racing, +25.109s
