Sensational One-Two Finish For Hillspeed On Inaugural GB4 Weekend
Megan Gilkes produced a flawless lights-to-flag performance during the third round of the GB4 Championship partnered by the BRDC at Snetterton on Sunday, 3rd April, to secure a historic race victory for Hillspeed – the first female winner on the inaugural weekend of the category.
Canadian racer Megan, a past winner in the W Series, was followed home by Max Marzorati to make it an outstanding Hillspeed one-two and deliver the perfect conclusion to the season-opening event for the Markham Vale squad.
Starting race three of the weekend second on the grid, Gilkes served up a textbook launch to grab the lead off the line and she never looked back on her way to an eventual winning margin of almost five seconds.
British driver Marzorati, like his team-mate an eleventh-hour entry for the racing in Norfolk, secured his maiden GB4 podium with a brilliant drive to second. Set up perfectly by a remarkable start, surging from fifth on the grid to second before the cars headed through the first corner, he kept the sister car honest throughout but had to fend off Elias Adestam on a tense final lap.
Huge celebrations for Hillspeed as GB4 enjoys successful debut
Following two days of productive testing for the Hillspeed pair, the first ever GB4 Championship qualifying session took place on Saturday, 2nd April, and ended with Marzorati sixth quickest and Gilkes – who had issues with her race seat early in the session, limiting her laps – ninth.
Both made an excellent start to the inaugural GB4 race later in the day, climbing into fifth and seventh respectively, and Marzorati then pounced to take fourth position from Jarrod Waberski at the exit of the Esses on the opening tour. Around two seconds shy of the podium at that point, Marzorati wasn’t able to make further in-roads but wrapped-up a strong top four result.
Following her strong start, Gilkes quickly latched on to the battle between Waberski and Elias Adestam. Running together for the first half of the race, when Adestam slipped back to sixth Gilkes saw her opportunity to challenge. After being blocked into Agostini, she moved around the outside but was edged wide onto the grass. Ultimately, she was just 0.4 seconds shy of sixth at the flag.
For round two on Sunday morning, Marzorati lined-up fifth on the grid and after launching well he was in prime position to grab fourth place at Brundle when Nikolas Taylor spun off track. Instantly turning his attention to pressuring third place Waberski, Marzorati stayed in touch throughout with a debut podium tantalisingly close.
On the 10th and final lap, Marzorati mounted a major challenge at the end of Bentley Straight and got alongside his rival. Still in fourth at the exit, he pressed hard to the finish and was just 0.1 seconds adrift at the line. Notably, his fastest lap was just 0.2 seconds shy of the race winner’s best.
Gilkes began the race on row five and immediately grabbed ninth at the start, before gaining two more places on the first tour – a terrific opening. Holding seventh and determined to close down the top six, the Canadian was edged back to eighth when Taylor began his climb back through.
Then, on lap eight, she unfortunately picked up some debris which actually pierced the radiator on her car and led to a fall down to the tail of the top 10, before pitting at the end of lap nine to post a luckless retirement. The good news, though, was a front-row start for the third and final race.
With a fully repaired car, Gilkes made a superb launch to take the lead almost immediately and Marzorati stormed through from the third row of the grid to make it a Hillspeed one-two into the first corner, Riches. Taking a look at the sister car into the hairpin, Marzorati remained second out of the turn and Gilkes started to get into her stride as the cars headed out of the infield.
Leading by 1.1 seconds into lap two, with Marzorati under pressure from Tom Mills, Gilkes’ lead was reduced to 0.7 seconds by the start of the third tour after Marzorati punched in fastest lap but she then increased her advantage to over a second once more.
By lap nine the top three had bunched up more with Gilkes leading by just 0.4 seconds, but as Marzorati fended off new third placed driver Adestam the leader was able to pull clear again and she took the flag at the end of lap 10 some 4.9 seconds to the good. Marzorati soaked up huge pressure on the final tour, and slight contact from Adestam out of the Esses, to hold on by 0.160 seconds.
Richard Ollerenshaw – Hillspeed Team Principal:
“Considering we were never planning to take part in the first round at Snetterton, to end the weekend with a one-two finish is incredible. Both Megan and Max did a fantastic job all weekend, having never seen the cars prior to testing they both made very good progress and to cap it off with a win and second place is exceptional.
“Last Monday we didn’t have a GB4 car ready, so to turn everything around is of massive credit to the whole team who have done a phenomenal job. So much effort has gone into making this weekend happen, to get the cars race ready with only limited work done on them after we returned from winter testing in Spain.
“It’s quite an unbelievable feeling having taken such a fantastic result and we’re working really hard to make sure we’re back out and at the front again at Oulton Park. It’s great MSV are trying to get this new championship off the ground, and we’re proud to be part of it.”
Megan Gilkes – Hillspeed GB4 Driver:
“It’s absolutely fantastic!. The start of the weekend didn’t go quite to plan, we couldn’t have envisaged a better race than that [race three]. I’m absolutely over the moon, and so happy to be the first female winner of a GB4 race. Hillspeed did a fantastic job, both cars one-two, I can’t thank the team enough for getting everything back together after the somewhat disappointing second race. It’s been a weekend of highs and lows but, boy, am I enjoying the highs!”
Max Marzorati – Hillspeed GB4 Driver:
“I’ve been promising the boys podiums all weekend as we’ve been so close to it, so to bring home a one-two I don’t think we could’ve asked for more. Bear in mind nether of us have done any running before the weekend, we did no pre-season testing, so all weekend has been constant learning from us. To finish with a one-two shows how much we can do. I was really happy with my start, that was mega – fifth to second by turn one! The team have been really great.”
Oulton Park in Cheshire will host rounds four, five and six of the GB4 season over Easter weekend, with qualifying and the opening race taking place on Saturday, 16th April, and races two and three following on Easter Monday, 18th April. Hillspeed’s GB3 Championship squad will embark on its first outing of the season at the same event with driver Nick Gilkes – brother of Megan.
2022 GB4 Championship – Driver Standings (after Rd3)
4th Max Marzorati, 62pts; 8th Megan Gilkes, 36pts
2022 GB4 Championship – Team Standings (after Rd3)
4th Hillspeed, 98pts
