Photo: Mat Acton
Rodin Motorsport’s Alex Ninovic set a new GB3 track record to beat Freddie Slater to a double pole in qualifying around Brands Hatch’s Grand Prix layout.
Ninovic set a best lap of 1m17.660s across the two sessions and was 0.4 seconds faster than Hillspeed’s Slater, with Hitech GP’s Deagen Fairclough and Xcel Motorsport’s Patrick Heuzenroeder the only other drivers within a second of the pace.
Argenti with Prema’s Reza Seewooruthun led his team-mate Lucas Fluxa five minutes into Q1 with a 1m20.752s lap.
Seewooruthun then found a further 0.5s, before Heuzenroeder moved to the top with a 1m19.517s, while JHR Developments duo Noah Lisle and Kai Daryanani climbed to second and third.
Slater initially sat in 13th as his team-mate Hiyu Yamakoshi set a new 1m19.076s benchmark, but he then responded to claim top spot by 0.375s.
Fairclough reduced the deficit to 0.155s before his team-mate Nikita Johnson caused a red flag with six minutes remaining when his car ground to a smoking halt at Druids.
Having sat 11th during the stoppage, Ninovic leapt to the top shortly after the track returned to green with 1m18.180s, which was enough to seal pole for race one by 0.523s.
Slater bailed out of his final attempt but remained second, while Fairclough improved on his final lap to pip Heuzenroeder to third by just 0.02s.
Elite Motorsport’s Will Macintyre was only 0.082s further behind, while Yamakoshi missed out on fifth by 0.008s despite setting a personal best as he took the chequered flag.
Rodin’s Gianmarco Pradel also went quicker on his final lap to seal seventh, and his team-mate Abbi Pulling was shuffled back two places to 10th by Hillspeed’s Kanato Le and Daryanani.
Seewooruthun again was the early leader in Q2 before the first representative laptimes started to be put down.
Heuzenroeder posted a 1m18.823s at the six-minute mark but, moments later, Ninovic went 0.9s faster with a 1m17.981s. Slater moved up to second, within 0.093s of Ninovic who then found a further 0.3s with a lap which would prove unbeatable.
Fairclough was 0.349s further behind Slater in third, and Heuzenroeder remained fourth despite finding more pace on his final attempt.
Pradel was 1.057s shy of his team-mate’s race two pole time in fifth, with Yamakoshi’s final effort leaving him just 0.014s further behind.
Daryanani edged Le to seventh by an even closer 0.002s, with Pulling and Velocity Racing Development’s Red Bull junior Enzo Tarnvanichkul completing the top 10.
Qualifying round-up
Race 1 grid
1 Alex Ninovic Rodin Motorsport 1m18.180s
2 Freddie Slater Hillspeed +0.523s
3 Deagen Fairclough Hitech TGR +0.630s
4 Patrick Heuzenroeder Xcel Motorsport +0.650s
5 Will Macintyre Elite Motorsport +0.732s
6 Hiyu Yamakoshi Hillspeed +0.740s
7 Gianmarco Pradel Rodin Motorsport +0.818s
8 Kanato Le Hillspeed +0.843s
9 Kai Daryanani JHR Developments +0.971s
10 Abbi Pulling Rodin Motorsport +0.980s
Race 2 grid
1 Ninovic 1m17.660s
2. Slater +0.411s
3. Fairclough +0.760s
4. Heuzenroeder +0.866s
5. Pradel +1.057s
6. Yamakoshi +1.071s
7. Daryanani +1.149s
8. Le +1.151s
9. Pulling +1.195s
10. Enzo Tarnvanichkul Velocity Racing Development +1.322s