Kattoulas tops GB4’s pre-event Donington test as grid grows to 25 cars

Photo: Jakob Ebrey Photography

Elite Motorsport’s Alex Kattoulas continued his strong pre-season form in GB4 with the quickest time at Donington Park in pre-event testing for the opening round of 2025.

His 1m28.098s set on Thursday morning was unopposed for the remainder of the two-day test, leaving him 0.1 seconds clear of team-mate Isaac Phelps. Five different drivers topped sessions, and a second covered the top 20 on pace.

Kattoulas and Fortec Motorsports’ Thomas Ingram-Hill traded fastest laps for most of Thursday’s opening session. Ingram-Hill led at the halfway stage with a 1m28.475s, and he improved by 0.18s with five minutes remaining, but it was Kattoulas who ended up quickest by 0.2s by posting what would prove to be his test-topping time in the final minute.

Elite’s Ary Bansal edged Douglas Motorsport’s Luke Hilton and Hillspeed’s Daniel Guinchard to third, while Bansal’s team-mate Isaac Phelps was 0.5s shy of the pace in sixth.

Fortec’s Jack Taylor was pipped to first place in session two by Bansal, who improved on his personal best with a 1m28.340s. Fox Motorsport’s Holly Miall caused a late red flag period by sliding into the gravel at Coppice, with only three cars venturing out once green flags returned with less than a minute left on the clock.

Bansal led Taylor once more when ADM’s Jason Pribyl halted session three at the halfway stage, with the action resuming inside the final 10 minutes. Phelps eclipsed Bansal by 0.037s late on with a new personal best, and then improved by a further 0.2s to finish on top with a 1m28.201s. Kattoulas climbed to second ahead of Bansal and Taylor.

Ingram-Hill and Bansal exchanged quickest times in the opening 10 minutes of session four on Friday, but it was Guinchard who was fastest with a 1m28.416s before the session was red-flagged. Not enough time remained after for anybody to improve. Bansal and Wilson were less than 0.07s behind Guinchard and one second split the top 15.

Hillspeed’s Leandro Juncos led session five when KMR Sport’s Lily Watkins brought out red flags just past the halfway mark. Following the restart, Taylor snatched top spot by 0.1s with a 1m28.723s then the session was red flagged again in the last minute.

Hilton recorded a personal best to in the final session and was on top with eight minutes remaining. Phelps grabbed the advantage five minutes later only to be demoted by Bansal and Guinchard, who both set their best laps of testing. Bansal was on top at the chequered flag thanks to a 1m28.305s, with 0.094s separating the top four.

Two more drivers have announced deals on the eve of the season, taking round one’s grid up to a record 25 cars. Sportscar convert Stefan Bostandjiev has joined Pace Performance for a partial GB4 campaign alongside his full-time GB3 drive with Fortec, and karting graduate Caitlyn McDaniel will make her car racing debut with Fox Motorsport and is the fifth woman on GB4’s 2025 entry list.

Test results