Fortec Motorsports enjoyed a podium finish in the GB4 Championship at the weekend (April 26-27), as Jack Taylor clinched third place in the opening contest at Silverstone.
The Australian was joined once again by Brit Tom Ingram-Hill and Dane Luca Magnussen, with all three youngsters looking to build on a positive start to the year at Donington Park two weeks’ prior.
Qualifying got underway under gloomy skies, with Jack continuing his run of good form, finishing the session fifth quickest. Tom and Luca improved upon their qualifying positions at Donington Park, finishing ninth and 14th respectively. “We were quite good in Free Practice so I’m a little bit disappointed about P9 and P10, but really, it’s not bad to be inside the top ten in this big field,” said Tom after the session.
It was a quick start to race one for Jack as he leapt into third on the opening tour, teammate Tom also gaining traction off the start line. “We’ve been practicing my starts a lot, and that seemed to have paid off,” Jack said. Luca held onto position before getting his elbows out as the clock ticked down, sitting in P12. Once in podium contention, Jack delivered a brilliant defensive drive, fending off persistent pressure, while Tom finished tenth, with Luca close behind in 11th.
Lining up sixth for race two, Jack had another strong getaway, already up into fifth before the pack exited turn one. Unfortunately for Luca, his race ended quickly after contact from another car sent him off track at Abbey on lap one, ultimately having to retire. “The car was stuck in gear so I couldn’t go anywhere,” he said.
After a Safety Car, Tom battled hard to defend eighth, but contact damaged his car, forcing him to retire. “We were making really good moves, but then I made a little bit of a mistake, and we came together,” he said. Jack crossed the line fourth, securing crucial points on an otherwise unlucky race.
The reverse-grid race three was chaotic from the start, with Tom and Jack in a battle for sixth. The latter settled into seventh, before contact from the car behind, pushed him onto the grass and ending his race.
On the restart, Tom capitalised, gaining two spots to finish sixth, while Luca suffered a puncture after contact and crossed the line 14th. “On the final lap, on the last corner, another car went into the side of me, and I got a puncture. Overall, the pace was good, but we had no luck,” he said.
The team will now regroup and focus on the next three races in the GB4 Championship season, which take place at Oulton Park, over the weekend of May 23-26.
Jack Taylor #50
Grid 1 – 5, Race 1 – 3
Grid 2 – 6, Race 2 – 4
Grid 3 – 8, Race 3 – DNF
Championship: 6 (69 points)
Thomas Ingram-Hill #8
Grid 1 – 9, Race 1 – 10
Grid 2 – 9, Race 2 – DNF
Grid 3 – 6, Race 3 – 6
Championship: 16 (38 points)
Luca Magnussen #23
Grid 1 – 14, Race 1 – 11
Grid 2 – 14, Race 2 – DNF
Grid 3 – 14, Race 3 – 14
Championship: 20 (23 points)
Fortec Motorsports
Championship: 5 (120 points)
