Wilson profits from Phelps penalty to win GB4 Donington Park race two

Photo: Jakob Ebrey Photography

Arden’s Leon Wilson won an epic second GB4 contest at Donington Park in which all three title contenders were penalised.

Elite Motorsport’s Isaac Phelps had looked set to complete an important comeback victory after initially making a slow start from pole, but he was denied by a five-second penalty at the chequered flag for exceeding track limits.

That handed Wilson his second GB4 victory ahead of Phelps, who reclaimed second in the standings while his team-mate and title rival Ary Bansal’s own recovery drive was undone by two track limits penalties.

Hillspeed’s Daniel Guinchard also lost ground due to both a late clash with Bansal and three track limits penalties that left him a points-free 21st and meant he dropped from first to third in the standings. Bansal, despite finishing ninth, moved to the top of the points table.

Guinchard had started fifth following a three-place grid penalty for colliding with Phelps in race one, and he held the position once the lights went out.

Phelps slipped to third behind Wilson and Leandro Juncos, while Bansal produced a stunning early charge up the order from seventh.

The Indian swept around the outside of Guinchard into Macleans for fifth, outbraked Alex O’Grady into Fogarty, and almost snatched third before lap one was completed when Phelps locked up and ran wide at Melbourne hairpin.

The Elite duo continued to lock horns on lap two, allowing Guinchard – who had dispatched O’Grady –  to join the battle. Having remained ahead, Phelps eventually pulled clear of his two title rivals by moving ahead of Juncos into second.

He caught Wilson with six minutes of the race remaining, and after making several overtaking attempts he eventually prevailed around the outside of Macleans to take the lead.

Phelps’ penalty was announced on the final lap, and his 2.2s gap to Wilson at the finish was not enough to keep hold of victory.

Having prevailed in a frenetic three-way battle with Juncos, Guinchard and Bansal almost collided as they diced over third. Guinchard tried to make a move exiting Old Hairpin on the final lap, but as Bansal moved across to defend he ended up on the grass and lost out to Juncos, O’Grady and Thomas Ingram Hill.

Bansal took the chequered flag in third, but was demoted six places after all penalties were applied. Juncos had second before he too was penalised, while ADM’s Jason Pribyl was eighth on-the-road but was eventually made runner-up.

O’Grady, Ingram Hill and Douglas Motorsport’s Lucas Blakeley were all also penalised, bringing Pace Performance’s Stefan Bostandjiev up to third ahead of Arden’s Ava Dobson.

Alex Kattoulas finished 11th after going off the road while battling Pribyl early on, and his own penalty meant he was only promoted to eighth, and race one winner Dayton Coulthard recovered from an early pitstop to be classified 13th.

Race results (11 laps)