Mixed Silverstone Weather Leads To Challenging Weekend

Event two of the GB3 Championship partnered by the BRDC season at Silverstone Grand Prix Circuit over the weekend, 6th/7th May, was very much a race meeting of two halves for Hillspeed’s Gerrard Xie and Daniel Mavlyutov – the GB3 rookies bouncing back well after a challenging start.

While a wet qualifying session didn’t go to plan at all for the team-mates, and a rain-lashed opening race brought difficulties as well, on the second day in Northamptonshire both Mavlyutov and Xie were able to post good midfield finishes in the dry – 14th and 15th respectively in round five.

Saturday was certainly a frustrating beginning to the weekend for Markham Vale’s Hillspeed, with Mavlyutov spinning out midway through qualifying before setting a representative lap time and ending up 24th as a result. Xie, meanwhile, showed pace good enough for a mid-grid slot but he was left down in 25th place after having several lap times disallowed for track limits infringements.

There was no improvement in the weather ahead of round four later in the day, a very wet track providing a major challenge. Mavlyutov actually started an improved 22nd on the grid, with Xie in 23rd spot, as a result of two other drivers having been excluded from qualifying post-session.

Rooster tails of spray made visibility near-on impossible in the pack, but the Hillspeed duo were able to make progress nonetheless with Xie finishing in 17th place – a strong gain of six positions – and Oulton Park race winner Mavlyutov took the chequered flag in an improved 20th.

Round five on Sunday morning took place in much improved weather, with Mavlyutov starting 22nd on the grid and Xie in 23rd place. Progressing well, both Hillspeed cars steadily climbed the order with Mavlyutov breaking into the top 20 on lap two and within another couple of laps he was 18th, before the Safety Car was deployed following a collision.

At the re-start the Turkish racer held an enhanced 16th position while Xie was 19th, with the remaining action limited to five minutes. Mavlyutov soon moved into the top 15 while Xie catapulted himself into 16th right behind his team-mate and they each gained a further place before the finish to take 14th and 15th, split by just 0.4 seconds at the flag.

Glorious spring weather finally arrived for round six on Sunday afternoon where the Hillspeed drivers again had to battle through, Mavlyutov and Xie sharing row 11 on the grid. Producing a great start, Mavlyutov was in the thick of the action inside the top 20 but contact between a couple of cars at Stowe meant he was forced wide in avoidance.

Another incident ahead into Vale resulted in the Turkish driver again losing out, after being delayed, and he ended the first lap in 22nd behind Xie. After closing a four second gap, Mavlyutov moved ahead of Xie on lap six and at that point they were 19th and 20th. Mavlyutov climbed as high as 17th spot but was passed by Xie on lap nine and, after a late shake-up, Xie was 17th with Mavlyutov 18th.

Richard Ollerenshaw – Hillspeed Team Principal:
“There’s no denying it’s been a tougher weekend than we wanted but after a qualifying session to forget we hit back pretty strongly, and Daniel and Gerrard both showed some good promise. The pace was there to be in the midfield in qualifying and that would’ve made all the difference for the races, but the track conditions were challenging for rookie drivers.

“Overall the results weren’t what we wanted, but the second race was positive and certainly the strongest of the weekend for us. The championship is very competitive, as always, but we’re sure the hard work we’re putting in with Daniel and Gerrard will bear fruit and they will continue to make progress throughout the season. Hopefully we can hit back strongly at Spa in a few weeks.”

Next on the GB3 Championship calendar is the first overseas event of the season, a visit to Belgium’s Spa-Francorchamps over the weekend 3rd/4th June for rounds seven, eight and nine.

GB3 Championship Driver Standings (after Rd6)
16th Daniel Mavlyutov, 39pts; 21st Gerrard Xie, 27pts

GB3 Championship – Team Standings (after Rd6)
8th Hillspeed, 66pts