Dunne keeps title race alive with fifth GB3 win at Donington Park

Photo: Jakob Ebrey Photography

Hitech GP’s Alex Dunne passed chief rival Callum Voisin to win the second GB3 contest at Donington Park, as the title battle was reduced to a two-way fight.

The championship’s top two lined up alongside each other on the front row for the slightly-reduced 13-lap encounter in dry and cold conditions.

Starting from the damp side of the circuit, Dunne made the slightly better launch, but Voisin converted pole into the lead at Redgate despite locking up while defending the inside line. Fortec Motorsports’ Max Esterson applied early pressure on Dunne, while Voisin pulled out a one-second advantage.

Dunne eventually broke away from his pursuer and closed to within 0.5s of Voisin by lap five. He continued his charge on the next lap, with Voisin then locking up and running wide at Melbourne hairpin.

That allowed Dunne to draw alongside approaching Goddards, and the Irishman made a late jink to the inside to snatch the lead, making contact with Voisin after running slightly wide on a damp part of the track.

Dunne pulled clear over the race’s second half to take his third triumph in the last five races by 4.498 seconds to reduce the gap to Voisin to 22 points heading into Sunday afternoon’s reversed-grid finale. Esterson came home a further 2.5s behind in third to score his first podium of the season.

Hitech’s Souta Arao slipped back from fourth on the opening lap after bouncing over a kerb at Fogarty Esses, losing further ground one corner later after being hit by Chris Dittmann Racing’s Arthur Rogeon, who subsequently retired in the pitlane.

Elite’s McKenzy Cresswell and Arden VRD’s James Hedley both ran wide while squabbling on lap one at the hairpin, with JHR Developments’ Matthew Rees capitalising to climb from seventh on the grid to fourth.

Rees showed strong early pace to close the deficit to Esterson, but ultimately finished 0.4s behind the American, with Cresswell and Hedley following the pair home.

Douglas Motorsport’s Tymek Kucharczyk gained three places on the opening lap before finishing seventh, while Joseph Loake’s title hopes came to an end after taking the chequered flag in eighth for JHR.

Fortec’s Jarrod Waberski was ninth ahead of JHR’s David Morales. Hitech’s Michael Shin ran in tenth for most of the race but a time penalty at the chequered flag demoted him to 20th.

Race result (13 laps)