Fortec Motorsport’s Linus Granfors remains the driver to beat as the youngsters of the GB4 Championship heads to Snetterton, with the 2024 season reaching its halfway mark this weekend.
Granfors has taken wins at every circuit visited so far, enjoying a run of four consecutive triumphs at Oulton Park, Silverstone and Donington Park. The 16-year-old holds a 27-point margin to KMR Sport’s Harry Burgoyne, who has proven himself as a regular podium finisher, and is eyeing that first victory to close the gap to his nearest rival.
Whilst the title fight appears to be heading towards a head-to-head scrap between the Swede and the Scot, there is plenty of scope for the battle to extend amongst the rest of the field.
Local squad Elite Motorsport will be hoping to fire themselves back into the fight, with Alisha Palmowski winning the first race of the year at Oulton Park. Luck has not gone her way since, but podiums at Silverstone and Donington have kept the Ginetta Junior graduate firmly in the mix.
Fox Motorsport’s Branden Templeton has also taken a race victory, courtesy of his triumph last time out at Donington Park. In his debut car racing campaign, the 17-year-old has edged closer to the pace at each event, seven points behind Palmowski in the standings.
The British driver is tied on points with Graham Brunton Racing’s Callum Baxter. The Canadian claimed his first GB4 podium at Donington, and has demonstrated the speed for more on several occasions throughout the campaign.
The second Scot on the grid, Chloe Grant, is next up. The 18-year-old’s first single-seater race took place right here during GB4’s inaugural event in 2022, and after a stint in F1 Academy, has enjoyed a competitive GB4 return, including a trip to the podium at Oulton Park.
Arden’s Leon Wilson is just four points in arrears, having shone on several occasions in his maiden car racing campaign. A podium at Silverstone is his highlight so far, at an event where he also qualified on the front row.
Aussie Jack Taylor continues to make strides in his first year of racing in the UK. He took a season’s best result of fifth at Donington Park, and should continue that upward progress in Norfolk this weekend, with the Fortec Motorsports squad.
Fox Motorsport’s Megan Bruce has delivered a consistent campaign as she continues to build her racing experience. She was a podium finisher here in 2023 in her first year of Caterham racing, and she could be in position to repeat that feat in a single-seater.
Finn Harrison meanwhile is bound to be a contender towards the sharp end of the field. The Elite Motorsport contender, another Ginetta Junior graduate, has taken two pole positions and a podium already. Bad luck has left him down the standings, but he is a sure fire contender to make big jumps up the order this weekend.
Fortec’s Dan Hickey has also demonstrated the potential to be a podium finisher, having led several laps at Oulton Park at the end of the season opening weekend. The British driver could be a front-runner again this weekend, and knows the Snetterton layout well from testing.
Finally, F1 Esports world champion Lucas Blakeley is back on the GB4 grid this weekend with KMR Sport. Having made his series debut here last summer, and claimed a podium at Donington Park back in October, the McLaren Shadow ace is back in a real world racing machine, and determined to fight towards the front.
The GB4 field will do battle three times this weekend, with the first race due to start at 17.15 on Saturday evening. Further contests at 12.40 and the reverse grid encounter at 17.35 will bring the season to the midway point, with plenty still at stake!
GB4 Championship, partnered by the BRDC, Snetterton entry list:
#9 Megan Bruce, Fox Motorsport
#16 Linus Granfors, Fortec Motorsport
#17 Dan Hickey, Fortec Motorsport
#21 Alisha Palmowski, Elite Motorsport
#24 Branden Templeton, Fox Motorsport
#27 Leon Wilson, Arden Motorsport
#38 Finn Harrison, Elite Motorsport
#45 Callum Baxter, Graham Brunton Racing
#50 Jack Taylor, Fortec Motorsport
#66 Chloe Grant, KMR Sport
#68 Harry Burgoyne, KMR Sport
#88 Lucas Blakeley, KMR Sport
