Following a record-breaking GB4 campaign that regularly featured grids of well over 20 cars per event, Hillspeed Team Principal Richard Ollerenshaw reckons that interest for next season is through the roof already.
The Derbyshire team enjoyed a second successful season in the series, finishing as runner-up in the teams' standings, having also done so in 2022, while lead driver Dan Guinchard controlled the drivers' standings for much of the campaign.
"I’ve never seen as much interest in any championship at all going into its second year [of a new era]" Ollerenshaw states. "The first year, a championship will always have a lot of hype about them, which generates a lot of interest, but the proof of the pudding is when we go over to the second year and in GB4 the interest levels have absolutely skyrocketed."
"I think it’s safe to say that I can’t see any reason why every car that is available won’t be out on the grid racing next year, just based on the interest levels that we’ve seen from the conclusion of the championship in early October."
For Ollerenshaw's team, it was a year of high success with wins for Guinchard at Silverstone and Oulton Park, and for teammate Leandro Juncos at the season finale at Donington. For both, the success came despite being relatively late additions to the grid.
"We had two very good talented drivers in the car with Dan and Leandro," Ollerenshaw continues. "For both of them, the package came together in almost the eleventh hour.
"Leandro was destined for GB3 and then made a switch to join Hillspeed for GB4. Dan’s package, we had talked about over the winter months and hoped it would come together, but it was going to be fundamental of operating a minimum of a two car team.
"Once we were able to get the Leandro deal across the line, we knew we were going to be out there, and we again hit the ground running with a well developed car from the winter test programme and we were quick to show our pace."
Guinchard led the championship standings almost uninterrupted from the Donington season opener, only to lose it in the final weekend of the year, but Ollerenshaw was still full of praise for the British-Polish contender.
"Dan did the two [media] days at Donington, the first day he shook both cars down, the second day he did probably his only day of testing during the year outside of the Thursday tests.
"He was probably one of the drivers that had got the least amount of seat time, but his quality as a driver spoke volumes. Quite frankly, up until the final round of the championship, didn’t put a foot wrong all year."
As for Juncos, the experienced team principal reckons he's unearthed a diamond which gained more shine as the year progressed, following a few rookie mistakes, natural for a driver with his inexperience.
"In Leandro you’ve got a driver that has got a lot of ability and a lot of Latin passion in his driving. Unfortunately early in the season a couple of minor mistakes were made which unfortunately probably took him out of title contention as early as Oulton Park.
"But he fought all the way through, absolutely determined that he was going to stand on the top step of the podium, which he finally did in the last race at Donington."
After a year filled with silverware, there were plenty of highlights for the team to choose from, but Ollerenshaw makes a special point of pointing out the impressive development of late-season acquisition Flame Airikkala across the final couple of rounds.
"Something that gave me the most pleasure was the development that we’ve seen with Flame, from coming across to Hillspeed and how after a few days of working with her we’ve managed to progress forward. Seeing a young driver develop is always very satisfying to the team.
He also picked out Juncos' breakthrough victory in the Donington Park season finale as a standout moment.
"It’s always something we as a team push that little bit harder for, is always to win the final race of the season. Because as we all know you’re only as good as your last race, and if your last race is a win then it stands you in good stead for the close period over the winter months. Leandro drove a superb race there, and held off a lot of pressure, showing that maturity he's gained over the year with us."
For Hillspeed, it's now all about assembling the best possible driver combination for next year.
"It’s going to be difficult to pick a driver line-up with the interest that we’ve got! At the moment I’d say we’ve got upwards of a dozen drivers that are chasing three seats with us.
"We’ve got a lot of interest in the championship and it’s now just a case of putting forward our strongest driver line-up that we can for the 2026 championship."
