Fortec Motorsports delivered an impressive performance in the GB4 Championship at Silverstone last weekend (2–3 August), as Jack Taylor claimed two commanding race victories and Thomas Ingram-Hill secured a podium in a weekend that underlined the team’s strength.
After securing pole position for the opening two races, Jack made a clean getaway in race one to maintain the lead, while teammate Tom made a lightning start to gain three places off the line. Unfortunately, Luca Magnussen lost out in the early shuffle, dropping four positions, but quickly settled into a rhythm.
It was Tom who made the most notable progress, setting a series of fastest laps and closing in on second-placed Luca Wilson. He completed the move with confidence, beginning it on the Hamilton Straight and finishing it on the exit of turn three. Out front, Jack was untroubled for his maiden win. “The only time anything happened was when I locked up a little,” he said. “I had a good start, paced myself, and tried not to make any mistakes.”
Once clear, Tom also pulled away to ensure a Fortec one-two finish. “My first GB4 podium has been a long time coming,” said Tom. “Fortec did a great job.”
Race two began in wet conditions, with drivers pitting at the end of the formation lap to switch to wet tyres. Two cars remained on slicks and formed up on the grid, while the rest – including Jack joined from the pitlane. Despite a 15-second deficit, his pace was emphatic and by lap three, he had taken the lead and extended his advantage to over 16 seconds before the Safety Car was deployed, though would claim a second win of the weekend.
“It started raining and I felt the grip was going,” he said. “The real deciding factor was whether the rain would continue. I could see it wasn’t stopping, so I pitted at the last second. The team did a great job with the stop, and I just went out, kept it clean, and nailed the Safety Car restart.”
Tom also made strong progress, climbing to third prior to the Safety Car period. With just minutes remaining, he challenged slick-shod Mayer Deonarine for second, making a move into turn one. Although he couldn’t hold the position, he still secured a solid fourth-place finish.
Luca gained ground from 12th on the grid, moving up to seventh and challenging the top six, though he ran out of time to improve further. “I haven’t been in the car for six weeks due to appendix surgery,” said Luca. “I got back on the pace quite quickly. Race one wasn’t great, but as soon as it started raining, the pace was immediately there.”
For the reverse-grid race three, Jack started 12th but sustained front wing damage in a close battle with Dayton Coulthard at Copse. Tom once again made early gains, moving into fourth on the opening lap and holding the position to the chequered flag. Luca also delivered a consistent drive, finishing 10th to round off a successful weekend for the team.
Jack Taylor #50
Grid 1 – 1, Race 1 – 1
Grid 2 – 1, Race 2 – 1
Grid 3 – 12, Race 3 – 24
Championship: 6 (191 points)
Thomas Ingram-Hill #8
Grid 1 – 6, Race 1 – 2
Grid 2 – 4, Race 2 – 4
Grid 3 – 7, Race 3 – 4
Championship: 9 (179 points)
Luca Magnussen #23
Grid 1 – 13, Race 1 – 17
Grid 2 – 12, Race 2 – 7
Grid 3 – 13, Race 3 – 10
Championship: 18 (88 points)
Fortec Motorsports
Championship: 3 (429 points)
