Hillspeed Completes Eleventh Hour GB4 Deals With Megan Gilkes And Max Marzorati
Hillspeed is delighted to confirm not one, but two eleventh hour driver signings for this coming weekend’s GB4 Championship partnered by the BRDC curtain-raiser at Snetterton – W Series race winner Megan Gilkes and former GB3 competitor Max Marzorati.
Having originally intended to begin its involvement in the brand new GB4 category at the second event of the 2022 season next month, the Markham Vale squad will now unexpectedly line-up on the inaugural GB4 grid in Norfolk on Saturday, 2nd April, with an exciting two car line-up.
Canadian racer Megan, who is the sister of Hillspeed’s GB3 Championship driver Nick Gilkes, became the youngest ever race winner in the W Series in 2019 during a non-championship round at Assen in The Netherlands – heading home Britain’s Alice Powell who, of course, was 2010 Formula Renault BARC Champion with Hillspeed.
On her car racing debut in 2017, Megan made an immediate impact by qualifying on pole position in Formula 1200. Finishing third in the championship in her native Canada in 2017, Megan became Vice-Champion the following season. After being invited to race in W Series in 2019, the all-female category’s inaugural season, she also gained additional experience in F3 Americas and F2000.
In 2020, Megan was Vice-Champion in F1600 Ontario and also raced in the BRSCC Formula Ford Festival in the UK before competing in the National Formula Ford Championship last year, ending the season 10th in the standings. Recently the 21-year-old, who is backed by Infinite Motorsports, has been testing an Asian F3 car with Hillspeed.
British driver Marzorati, who was a podium finisher in GB3 last year, started out his racing career in saloon cars in the now defunct Renault UK Clio Cup Junior category in 2017. Ending the campaign third overall in the standings, he claimed three race victories.
Switching to single-seaters the following year, the Harrow on the Hill driver became a race winner in the Formula Ford Festival and he again raced in Formula Ford in 2019 where he took a brace of podiums in the FF1600 Champion of Brands. Stepping-up to the BRDC Formula 3 Championship in 2020, he remained in the category under its new guise GB3 last year and raced to a debut podium.
Like his new Hillspeed team-mate, Marzorati is undertaking his first mileage in the GB4 car he will race this weekend during official testing at Snetterton’s 300 Circuit today.
Richard Ollerenshaw – Hillspeed Team Principal:
“What a turnaround it’s been this week! We were intending to debut in GB4 at Oulton Park a fortnight from now but the deals with Megan and Max have very quickly fallen into place, which is obviously fantastic news. We’re delighted to be at Snetterton for the inaugural GB4 races.
“We’ve known both Megan and Max for some time. Megan’s record speaks for itself with her win in W Series and successes in F1600, and it’s a lovely touch she will be racing in our GB4 car with her brother Nick getting his GB3 campaign underway with us in a couple of weeks. Max, of course, was on the GB3 podium last year and is a rapidly improving driver so we have high hopes for Snetterton.”
Megan Gilkes – Hillspeed GB4 Driver:
“I’m extremely excited to be competing in the inaugural GB4 races this weekend. While it was quite a last-minute decision, I couldn’t miss out on the opportunity to race at Snetterton, one of my favourite circuits in the UK and one which I’ve had success at in the past. I would like to say a huge thank you to Hillspeed for the opportunity, as well as to my sponsor Infinite Motorsports for making this possible. This weekend will be my first time in the car, so I am looking forward to working with the team at Hillspeed to get up to speed quickly!”
Max Marzorati – Hillspeed GB4 Driver:
“I am delighted to be joining the inaugural grid for the very first round of the new GB4 Championship this weekend. MSV’s championships, led by Jonathan Palmer, are at the heart of UK motorsport and introducing a series to complement GB3 produces a cost-effective supported ladder for single-seater drivers in the UK. Hillspeed have a long history of success in motorsport and I am so grateful to be able to join Richard [Ollerenshaw] and his team for the opening rounds at Snetterton.”
Following additional testing at Snetterton tomorrow, Friday, 1st April, the first ever GB4 qualifying session will get underway at 10.25 on Saturday, 2nd April, with round one following at 14.50. On Sunday, 3rd April, round two is set to begin at 10.20 with round three starting around 15.10.
Live coverage of all three races will be streamed online at www.gb-4.net and through the championship’s official YouTube and Facebook pages.
