Customise Consent Preferences

We use cookies to help you navigate efficiently and perform certain functions. You will find detailed information about all cookies under each consent category below.

The cookies that are categorized as "Necessary" are stored on your browser as they are essential for enabling the basic functionalities of the site. ... 

Always Active

Necessary cookies are required to enable the basic features of this site, such as providing secure log-in or adjusting your consent preferences. These cookies do not store any personally identifiable data.

No cookies to display.

Functional cookies help perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collecting feedback, and other third-party features.

No cookies to display.

Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics such as the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.

No cookies to display.

Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.

No cookies to display.

Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with customized advertisements based on the pages you visited previously and to analyze the effectiveness of the ad campaigns.

No cookies to display.

Home Formula RegionalGB3 Dunne fastest in close GB3 qualifying at Zandvoort

Dunne fastest in close GB3 qualifying at Zandvoort

by Steve Whitfield

Photo: Jakob Ebrey Photography

Hitech GP’s Alex Dunne snatched pole position for race one in the final seconds of a thrilling GB3 qualifying at Zandvoort.

Dunne posted 1m30.197s lap to deny Elite Motorsport’s McKenzy Cresswell, who took pole ahead of Dunne for race two, while Arden VRD’s Nico Christodoulou qualified behind the pair in third for both encounters. 

Conditions were dry and cool during the 25-minute session, with Chris Dittmann Racing’s Zak Taylor initially leading the way with a 1m34.963s, and Christodoulou,  Dunne and Fortec Motorsports’ Jarrod Waberski all briefly headed the timesheets. 

James Hedley was the first driver to post a sub 1m32s lap before being edged by Joseph Loake, with Waberski then returning to the top by 0.056s with a 1m31.562s lap.

There was a brief red flag just before the 10-minute mark when Callum Voisin and Michael Shin collided, with both drivers able to make it back to the pitlane.

Christodoulou climbed to third at the resumption, and the Canadian improved further on his next lap to take first away from Waberski by 0.010s before his Arden team-mate Hedley went quickest with a 1m31.334s.

JHR Development’s Loake then lapped almost one-second faster than Hedley, with Dunne and Cresswell moving into second and third. Hedley then climbed back up to third, and set a fastest first sector on his next effort only for the red flags brought out for a second time after Douglas Motorsport’s Shawn Rashid had a light brush with the wall.

The green flags were waved with seven minutes remaining, and again Christodoulou was quick to improve by taking third away from Hedley.

Cresswell then edged Loake by just 0.001s to take provisional pole in the closing stages, and Christodoulou moved into second.

But Dunne went faster still as the chequered flag fell to displace Cresswell and Christodoulou, while Loake was unable to improve and slipped to fourth.

Hitech GP’s Souta Arao and JHR’s Matthew Rees improved on their final laps to take fifth and sixth. Hedley was seventh ahead of Waberski and Tymek Kucharczyk.

Cresswell beat Loake to race two pole by 0.130s, the grid determined by drivers’ second-best laptimes. Hedley will start from fourth in that contest, while Loake and Arao set and identical time in fifth and sixth.

Points leader Voisin struggled, with a late effort moving him up from 14th to 10th for race one, and is due to start three places behind chief rival Loake from ninth in race two.

Qualifying results

Race 1 grid
1 Alex Dunne Hitech GP 1m30.197s
2 McKenzy Cresswell Elite Motorsport +0.154s
3 Nico Christodoulou Arden VRD +0.236s
4 Joseph Loake JHR Developments +0.277s
5 Souta Arao Hitech GP +0.445s
6 Matthew Rees JHR Developments +0.467s
7 James Hedley Arden VRD +0.549s
8 Jarrod Waberski Fortec Motorsports +0.628s
9 Tymek Kucharczyk Douglas Motorsport +0.721s
10 Callum Voisin Rodin Carlin +0.768s

Race 2 grid
1 Cresswell 1m30.473s
2 Dunne +0.130s
3 Christodoulou +0.242s
4 Hedley +0.312s
5 Loake +0.327s
6 Arao +0.327s
7 Waberski +0.502s
8 Kucharczyk +0.528s
9 Voisin +0.566s
10 Ollver Stewart Elite Motorsport +0.613s