Blakeley dominates Donington opener for third GB4 victory

Photo: Jakob Ebrey Photography

KMR Sport’s Lucas Blakeley climbed from fifth to first on the opening lap to set up a comfortable win in GB4 race one at Donington Park.

The field all opted for slick tyres despite light drizzle leaving the circuit greasy, and there was drama immediately for the championship’s top two.

Blakeley’s team-mate Harry Burgoyne Jr pulled into the pitlane at the end of the formation lap with an issue, and started the race a lap down.

Elite Motorsport’s Finn Harrison led away from pole while Fortec Motorsports’ points leader Linus Granfors, despite initially edging ahead of Arden’s Leon Wilson into second, got stuck in second gear on the run to Redgate and tumbled to 10th.

Having moved past Elite’s Alisha Palmowski off the line and then picked off Wilson, Blakeley was then handed the lead before lap one was completed when Harrison ran wide into Melbourne hairpin.

The front two quickly pulled clear from there as Wilson led a four-car train for third. Following behind him were Palmowski, Graham Brunton Racing’s Callum Baxter and Granfors, the latter having got back up to speed and made swift progress to sixth.

The quartet ran nose-to-tail for several laps before an error from Wilson allowed Palmowski to snatch third into Coppice, and Granfors pounced to pass both Baxter and Wilson on the following straight. Granfors applied pressure on his championship rival Palmowski in the closing stages but had to settle for fourth.

Blakeley meanwhile cruised home 5.4 seconds clear of Harrison for his third GB4 triumph, with third for Palmowski moving her into second in the standings ahead of Burgoyne.

Wilson slipped back a further place to sixth behind Baxter after going off the road, while Fox Motorsport’s Branden Templeton recovered from an early spin at Redgate while trying to pass Baxter to finish seventh.

Nicklas Ellis was eighth on his GB4 debut for Elite ahead of Fortec’s Jack Taylor and KMR’s Chloe Grant. Fox’s Megan Bruce was another to have a trip through the gravel in the slippery conditions and came home 11th ahead of Idola Motorsport’s Aleksander Mizera who was 12th in his first ever car race.

Race result (12 laps)