Douglas Motorsport’s Conor Grant will be targeting his maiden victory in the GB4 Championship when the series visits Donington Park this weekend.
The 19-year-old has demonstrated an upwards trajectory over recent rounds, scoring his first podium at Silverstone whilst qualifying inside the top-eight for the previous four ‘main’ races.
“We’re making strides forward every weekend to get to the front guys,” said the Irishman. “That’s been evident over the last two race weekends where we are now on the fastest [teams] on the grid.”
Grant is confident of being able to continue his progression this weekend, as GB4 returns to Donington Park for the second time this year. Last time he raced at the venue, Grant gained a staggering 12 places in race two to secure sixth – his personal best result at the time.
“We’ve got a strong car at Donington,” he said. “We’ve got to keep ticking away and we’ll be right there for some wins in the next two [race] weekends.”
Confidence is sky-high for Grant currently, with the Douglas Motorsport driver having secured his personal best qualifying result of the season and two top-six finishes at the previous round at Snetterton.
“We’re getting stronger every time we are in the car,” Grant said. “I’ve come on a lot as a driver and we have optimised the car we have for myself, as well as the package we have. Snetterton was a strong weekend for the team, Dayton and I have both been quick.”
The pair were evenly-matched throughout the Snetterton weekend, even getting a little too close in race one when Grant took a trip through the neighbouring farmland whilst battling his team-mate.
“I got back on track and didn’t realise how much farmland I had taken back on track with me,” said Grant. “I [should have] invoiced the farmer for my days’ work!”
The incident did, however, result in some humorous images of Grant’s car, which returned to the circuit carrying a large quantity of the linseed crop he had driven through.
“There were some funny photos,” admitted Grant. “At the end of the weekend, I could look back at them and laugh, but I wasn’t very happy when it happened.”
With more gravel run-offs than farmland, Donington poses its own challenge for the drivers, who will have to be mindful of track limits during their qualifying laps. Grant believes he will be able to do this, which will put him in a strong position for the weekend’s races.
“We have to do a good job in qualifying and avoid the track limits,” he said. “Our race pace and race craft is then good enough to really go after that first win of the season.”
