Palmowski wins third GB4 contest at Snetterton after Blakeley penalty

Photo: Jakob Ebrey Photography

Elite Motorsport’s Alisha Palmowski was the eventual winner of an utterly wild GB4 reversed-grid race at Snetterton after a post-race penalty denied Lucas Blakeley.

KMR Sport’s Blakeley initially took his second victory of the weekend ahead of Palmowski, the pair both climbing from the back row of the grid and profiting from a multi-car incident in front of them following a final-lap safety car restart.

But a couple of hours after the race, Blakeley was handed a 10-second penalty for a formation lap infringement which demoted him to fifth. Palmowski therefore inherited her third GB4 win, and the amended result also had a significant effect on what has become a tight three-way title battle.

Fox Motorsport’s Megan Bruce led away from pole, but she was passed on the opening lap by Fortec Motorsports’ Jack Taylor who had moved ahead of his slow-starting team-mate Dan Hickey off the line.

KMR’s Harry Burgoyne stormed from 10th into second by the start of lap two, while Bruce lost further places to her team-mate Branden Templeton, Elite’s Finn Harrison and Fortec’s pre-race points leader Linus Granfors.

Harrison moved up to third on lap four despite going slightly airborne by making contact with Templeton, who also lost out to Granfors.

The front five remained close until Burgoyne damaged his front wing and slipped to sixth, moments before the safety car was deployed due to two separate incidents at Agostini.

Arden’s Leon Wilson spun after contact with Graham Brunton Racing’s Callum Baxter, while Hickey collided with KMR’s Chloe Grant, who was carrying a penalty for jumping the start. Grant retired on the spot with suspension damage, while Hickey and Wilson both stopped in the pitlane.

There was time for one more racing lap once the safety car pulled into the pitlane, and the order descended into chaos after a dramatic incident into turn one. Granfors tried to pass his team-mate Taylor for the lead but the pair collided and flew off the road into retirement, with Harrison spinning and Bruce also going off as they tried to avoid the Fortec duo.

Having climbed from 11th to fifth before the safety car period, Blakeley picked his way through the melee to initially take a remarkable victory ahead of Palmowski and Baxter who both gained six places on the final lap.

Palmowski was promoted to first ahead of Baxter and Templeton following Blakeley’s penalty, with Burgoyne moving up to fourth ahead of his team-mate despite nursing his damaged car to the finish, with Bruce sixth ahead of Harrison.

Burgyone becomes the new championship leader by three points from Granfors, and Palmowski’s two wins across the weekend leave her just 16 points off the summit.

Race result (9 laps)