Scorpio Motorsport’s Archie Davies made his GB4 debut at Silverstone, and impressed immediately by qualifying inside the top-10 in his first single-seater qualifying session, and ending his weekend with a podium finish.
His Silverstone performance was a step forward compared to pre-season testing, in which the young Brit was a firm midfield contender during the three official days he attended, but never higher than 13th at the end of a day.
But after setting the 17th and 18th quickest times during the two pre-event days ahead of the season opener, he kicked up a gear in qualifying to start eighth for race one and 11th for race two.
“I was very happy with the pace and the car in qualifying, and it tallied up with where we thought I could be if I put all my sectors together at the right moment,” he said.
Davies’ Scorpio team was strong all-round in qualifying, with teammate Romauld Bocquet 12th on the grid for race one, and 10th for race two, with the grid for that encounter decided by each driver’s second quickest times. Davies reckons the Frenchman’s experience has played a big part in the team’s progression.
“Romuald’s been fantastic to work with, very professional and brings single-seater experience to the table. You could see that in race three where he was pulling away out front after both restarts.”
Bocquet won the final race on the road, only to lose it after receiving a time penalty for a jump start, which immediately bumped Davies up from fourth to the podium, a result he wasn’t expecting ahead of the event.
“I was absolutely blown away to get on the podium in my first single-seater weekend, especially with only three days pre-season testing before round one.
“If I’m completely honest, it wasn’t something I was envisioning before the weekend. The grid is super strong this year with a lot of experienced single-seater drivers, and again, with limited time in the car pre-season, a top-10 finish would have been a mega start in my eyes.”
Davies' podium was not only his first in GB4, but also a breakthrough result for Scorpio, which had raced infrequently in the series before this season, usually in conjunction with other teams. Davies believes the best is yet to come for the squad, based on its Silverstone performance.
“Since signing for Scorpio, the vibe in the team has been mega. Working with such an experienced team that has previous success in single-seater categories, you can really feel we’re on the brink of something special. I think Silverstone proved that with the pace and results myself and Romuald achieved.
“The next goals are obviously podium finishes and to secure a race win for the team. But with patience, more hard work and more time in the car, I do believe by the tail end of the season this can be possible.”
Oulton Park is looming on the horizon (23/25 May), a circuit Davies has raced at before in junior tin tops.
“It’s a circuit I visited in my first year of Fiesta Juniors in 2024, and it is genuinely up there as one of my favourites.
“A top-10 qualifying is definitely the target once again, and hopefully we can move forward throughout the weekend.”
