Phelps wins on GB4 debut in season-opening Donington Park race

Photo: Jakob Ebrey Photography

Elite Motorsport’s Isaac Phelps led lights-to-flag to win the first race of GB4’s new era at Donington Park.

Phelps finished 1.3 seconds clear of Hillspeed’s racing returnee Daniel Guinchard to take victory on his first single-seater start, as the new Tatuus MSV GB3-025 made its series debut.

There was a change to the grid prior to the race, as KMR Sport’s Alex O’Grady lost his row three spot due his car failing scrutineering. This resulted in the Irishman being forced to start from the back, where he will also start Sunday’s two races.

Phelps made use of pole position to gain a clear lead into Redgate for the first time, while Pace Performance’s Stefan Bostandjiev made a great launch from sixth on the grid to challenge Fortec Motorsports’ Jack Taylor for second.

As he tried to defend the position, Taylor was rearended in turn one by Elite’s Ary Bansal and immediately slowed with a rear-right puncture, and Bansal was forced to follow him to the pits at the end of lap one with front wing damage.

Phelps benefitted from the squabbles behind to build a 1.7s lead on lap one over Guinchard, who quickly dispatched of Bonstandjiev for second.

Guinchard reduced Phelps’ advantage to a second on lap two, with Phelps then slightly edging away over the next two tours and extending his lead further to three seconds on lap five. The gap was halved on the penultimate lap, but Phelps was still out of attacking distance for Guinchard.

Elite’s Alex Kattoulas gained three places to fourth early on before reeling in and passing Bostandjiev into Melbourne hairpin on lap four, and he remained in third for the remainder of the race.

Bostandjiev faced further pressure in the race’s second half from Hillspeed’s Leandro Juncos, who eventually made a move into Melbourne. Juncos ran wide while completing the overtake, with the resulting contact causing Bostandjiev to lose two places to Douglas Motorsport’s Luke Hilton and Enzo Hallman.

Juncos finished 0.5s clear of Hilton, who recovered to fifth after losing ground with an early error at the Fogarty Esses.

Hallman was a further one second back in seventh, while Bostandjiev ended his first single-seater race in eighth. Graham Brunton Racing’s Alex Berg was ninth ahead of his team-mates Mayer Deonarine and Callum Baxter, the trio having all gained several places during the race.

Arden’s Leon Wilson was the only driver not to meet the chequered flag as he spun out on the last lap while battling Deonarine into Redgate.

Race results (13 laps)