Bansal holds off Guinchard to win GB4 race two at Snetterton

Photo: Mat Acton Photography

Elite Motorsport’s Ary Bansal resisted a late charge from championship leader Daniel Guinchard to take his second GB4 win of the weekend at Snetterton.

Bansal finished 0.438s seconds clear of Hillspeed’s Guinchard to reduce the latter’s advantage in the title race to 25 points, while Douglas Motorsport’s Luke Hilton scored his first podium in third.

As in Saturday’s opening contest, Bansal and his team-mate Phelps shared the front row. Bansal led away from pole but a poor getaway cost Phelps second to Guinchard, and he was then shuffled back to fourth by Hilton at turn three before having to fend off Elite counterpart Alex Kattoulas at the next corner.

There were a couple of opening lap incidents further down the field. Dudley Ruddock spun at turn one while his Arden team-mate Ava Dobson damaged her front wing by colliding with Pace Performance’s Stefan Bostandjiev approaching the hairpin. Bostandjiev suffered a rear-left puncture and collected Fortec Motorsports’ Jack Taylor who was tapped into a spin.

Bansal pulled out a 1.5-second lead in the first half of the race before Guinchard responded with the fastest lap on the sixth tour to reduce the gap by a whole second.

Guinchard gradually ramped up the pressure in the closing stages before making a final lap challenge. He had a look up the inside into turn four but locked up and backed out, and Bansal defended into Oggies and remained ahead for the rest of the lap to seal victory.

Hilton came home three seconds further adrift, edging out Phelps to the final podium spot by 0.2s, while Kattoulas took fifth. KMR Sport’s Alex O’Grady beat Thomas Ingram Hill to sixth, but was subsequently handed a one-place position penalty for making early contact with the Fortec driver.

Arden’s Leon Wilson and Hillspeed’s Leandro Juncos came to blows while contesting eighth at Bomb Hole corner, resulting in both drivers retiring with damage.

Douglas Motorsport’s Enzo Hallmann, Graham Brunton Racing’s Alex Berg and Pace’s Joshua McLean completed the top 10, with Hallman’s team-mate Dayton Coulthard another late retirement and Fox Motorsport’s Holly Miall also failing to see the chequered flag.

Race results (10 laps)