Mills seals GB4 title as Daryanani wins final Brands Hatch contest

Photo: Jakob Ebrey Photography

Evans GP’s Kai Daryanani scored a maiden GB4 win in the reversed-grid race at Brands Hatch, while seventh place secured Tom Mills the title.

Fortec Motorsports’ Aditya Kulkarni made the better start from the outside of the front row to challenge for the lead into Paddock Hill Bend, but pole-sitter Daryanani remained ahead.

Sid Smith bogged down from third on the grid and slipped to sixth behind Harry Burgoyne Jr, Jack Clifford and Cooper Webster.

There was a slow-speed coming together exiting Druids between Colin Queen and and Josh Irfan, necessitating a safety car intervention. Irfan retired, while Queen was able to rejoin one lap behind.

Daryanani continued to lead at the restart, while Smith tried to squeeze up the inside of Webster at Paddock Hill, the pair narrowly avoiding contact.

Clifford ran wide exiting Surtees and lost third to Webster and then came under pressure from Fox Motorsport’s Liam McNeilly, who had made it past team-mate Smith.

McNeilly tried to pass Clifford on the outside at Paddock Hill, but ran wide and dropped back behind Smith. 

As McNeilly and Smith continued to battle they were caught by Zack Ping and Mills, who had climbed two places at the start to ninth. Mills had a few stabs at trying to pass Ping but couldn’t get by.

Burgoyne went off the road from third and eventually retired, while McNeilly passed Smith and then gained another place by overtaking Clifford at Paddock Hill.

McNeilly then profited from a mistake from Webster to gain another spot, and despite a late challenge on Kulkarni took the chequered flag in third, with Daryanani finishing 3.2 seconds clear of the pair.

Webster was fourth ahead of Smith and Ping, with Mills settling for a safe run to seventh to be crowned champion with a round to spare. His KMR Sport team-mate Clifford slipped back to eighth after going off the road.

Race results (12 laps)