The second round of the GB3 Championship gets underway this weekend and it’s a home race for Hitech GP as we make the short journey to the neighbouring Silverstone circuit. Our trio of Will Macintyre, Gerrard Xie and Tymek Kucharczyk have prior experience of the Grand Prix layout and are looking to build on the success of the opening round.
After a spectacular debut win in the wet at Oulton Park over the Easter weekend, Will continued his good form with the second quickest time in official testing at Brands Hatch last week. He sits fourth in the points standings as the series heads to our home track.
“After a strong test at Brands, I’m looking forward to getting back behind the wheel this weekend,” said Will. “I’ve been working hard with Hitech GP over the past few weeks, training and driving in the simulator to prepare for this weekend’s races.”
Silverstone is the first of four international tracks the GB3 Championship is scheduled to visit over the next three months, with Spa, the Hungaroring and Zandvoort all set to give the drivers a taste of Formula 1 circuit experience.
“Racing at somewhere like Silverstone is a big deal in a young driver’s career, as it’s one of the most significant tracks in the world,” said Tymek. “And any experience on a circuit like this will help in the future, as it is used by so many different racing categories — including Formula 1.”
Tymek scored a podium finish at Silverstone in GB3 last July and the 18-year-old is determined to take another top-three finish this year.
“The characteristics of this track are different to Brands Hatch or Oulton Park because the margin of error isn’t as small. With more run-off, you’re not in the wall immediately afterwards. Therefore you can enjoy a bit of a different approach going into the race weekend and take more risk. As a circuit like Silverstone is more forgiving, you can race wheel-to-wheel with your rivals.”
The Polish racer heads to Silverstone in ninth overall with 33 points, while Hitech GP team-mate Gerrard sits in sixth on 46 points. The 17-year-old is also aiming for another strong result for Hitech GP at their home circuit.
“It’s great to be able to go to a Formula 1 track,” says Gerrard. “It’s so important for our learning and I’m really looking forward to getting back to this venue. It will be different to Oulton Park, as the wider circuit will offer more overtaking opportunities, meaning that qualifying — while still important — is not as critical, because you can make up positions back through the race. But like the opening round, we might get unpredictable weather which will bring about its own challenges.”
Race one gets underway at Silverstone on Saturday at 14.50, with two further races on Sunday at 10.00 and 15.45 local time.
