Photo: Jakob Ebrey Photography
Isaac Phelps topped two out of three sessions to be quickest in GB4 pre-event testing on Brands Hatch.
The Elite Motorsport driver set a best laptime of 45.044 seconds in session three to edge out Hillspeed’s points leader Daniel Guinchard – who was quickest in session two – by 0.059s around the circuit’s Indy layout.
Brands Hatch’s full Grand Prix layout will be used for this weekend’s races.
Phelps set a 45.211s in the second half of session one to deny his team-mate Bansal top spot by 0.047s. Bansal then crashed at Clearways, bringing proceedings to an early conclusion.
Guinchard was 0.051s further adrift in third, with Douglas Motorsport’s Dayton Coulthard fourth ahead of Elite’s Alex Kattoulas and ADM’s Jason Pribyl.
Session two was disrupted by a lengthy red flag after Douglas duo Luke Hilton and Enzo Hallmann simultaneously went off at Paddock Hill Bend – with the latter skating into the barriers.
The pair ended the session in fourth and fifth, while Guinchard set a new benchmark of 45.103s once green flag running resumed to lead his team-mate Leandro Juncos by 0.113s.
Kattoulas was third, Phelps was edged out to sixth by Arden’s Ava Dobson, but ongoing car repairs resulted in Bansal watching on from the sidelines.
Phelps led for most of the final session, having set his test-topping effort early on. Guinchard held on to second overall despite not improving in session three, while Bansal returned to track to set a new personal best and claim third.
Fortec Motorsports’ Jack Taylor – a double winner at the previous round – improved to fourth, with Juncos 0.007s behind him. Kattoulas was sixth ahead of Arden’s Leon Wilson. The top seven were covered by 0.28s.
Hillspeed has expanded its line-up to three cars, as Flame Airikkala has switched to the team from Pace Performance for the remainder of the season.
Test results
| Pos | Driver | Team | Time | Gap | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Isaac Phelps | Elite Motorsport | 45.044s | 61 | |
| 2 | Dan Guinchard | Hillspeed | 45.103s | +0.059s | 63 |
| 3 | Ary Bansal | Elite Motorsport | 45.182s | +0.138s | 39 |
| 4 | Jack Taylor | Fortec Motorsports | 45.209s | +0.165s | 69 |
| 5 | Leandro Juncos | Hillspeed | 45.216s | +0.172s | 55 |
| 6 | Alex Kattoulas | Elite Motorsport | 45.266s | +0.222s | 65 |
| 7 | Leon Wilson | Arden | 45.324s | +0.280s | 63 |
| 8 | Dayton Coulthard | Douglas Motorsport | 45.388s | +0.344s | 65 |
| 9 | Luke Hilton | Douglas Motorsport | 45.427s | +0.383s | 53 |
| 10 | Jason Pribyl | ADM | 45.445s | +0.401s | 72 |
| 11 | Enzo Hallman | Douglas Motorsport | 45.449s | +0.405s | 53 |
| 12 | Ava Dobson | Arden | 45.480s | +0.436s | 62 |
| 13 | Stefan Bostandjiev | Pace Performance | 45.485s | +0.441s | 60 |
| 14 | Luca Magnussen | Fortec Motorsportd | 45.541s | +0.497s | 66 |
| 15 | Joshua McLean | Pace Performance | 45.560s | +0.516s | 55 |
| 16 | Dudley Ruddock | Arden | 45.712s | +0.668s | 62 |
| 17 | Alex O’Grady | KMR Sport | 45.719s | +0.675s | 65 |
| 18 | Thomas Ingram Hill | Fortec Motorsports | 45.746s | +0.702s | 26 |
| 19 | Megan Bruce | KMR Sport | 45.973s | +0.929s | 66 |
| 20 | Lily-May Watkins | KMR Sport | 46.514s | +1.470s | 64 |
| 21 | Holly Miall | Fox Motorsport | 46.664s | +1.620s | 52 |
| 22 | Caitlyn McDaniel | Fox Motorsport | 46.822s | +1.778s | 61 |
| 23 | Flame Airikkala | Hillspeed | 46.948s | +1.904s | 23 |