Second Victory Of GB3 Season For Mavlyutov And Hillspeed
First year GB3 Championship racer Daniel Mavlyutov produced an outstanding lights-to-flag performance in round 12 of the season at Snetterton 300 Circuit on Sunday, 18th June, to deliver his and Hillspeed’s second victory of 2023.
From the ‘reverse grid’ pole position, the Turkish driver aced the start and after soaking up some early pressure he ultimately went on to claim victory in the 14-lap contest by a very commanding 3.6 seconds thanks to a faultless drive.
Sparking huge celebrations at the Markham Vale team, Mavlyutov’s success brought deserved cheer after a tougher than expected weekend to that point – finishing 24th and 18th in the two other races at the Norfolk track.
Team-mate Gerrard Xie experienced three challenging encounters and even with good pace he had to settle for a hat-trick of 17th place finishes. Championship-wise, Xie is 17th in the standings after the Snetterton race meeting with Mavlyutov 22nd.
Mavlyutov victory brings positive end to Snetterton outing for Hillspeed
Xie was less than a second shy of pole position in qualifying on Saturday, 17th June, but such was the competitiveness of the entry around the 2.97-mile track it meant a 16th place starting slot for race one of the weekend, with Mavlyutov concluding the session 24th fastest.
Rain ahead of round 10 mid-afternoon led to officials declaring the contest a wet race, with the drivers having two green flag laps as a result, but the track was realistically dry. Both Hillspeed racers made good starts but Xie did slip to 17th on lap one, while Mavlyutov wasn’t able to capitalise on his good launch and as they headed out of the first hairpin he was in 25th place.
Thereafter the race was largely processional, with overtaking opportunities at a premium, and Xie ultimately finished the 12-lapper in 17th position at the flag with team-mate Mavlyutov ending the race 24th, shadowing the car ahead.
Round 11 on Sunday morning began with Xie 16th on the grid again and Mavlyutov starting a slightly improved 23rd, the starting order based on second fastest times in qualifying. Xie unfortunately lost ground on lap one, slipping back to 21st place, but Mavlyutov gained one spot into Wilson Hairpin.
Into lap three Xie broke into the top 20 but on lap four the positions changed back again. Then, on the fifth tour, the race leader was put into a spin and so the Safety Car was deployed. Racing only resumed with enough time for two laps, Xie and Mavlyutov each gaining before the finish to take the flag 18th and 19th. Post race, they were elevated to 17th and 18th after a rival’s disqualification.
Mavlyutov lined-up on the ‘reverse grid’ pole position for round 12, the second time doing so this season, and he harboured hopes of repeating the win he claimed at the championship-opening event at Oulton Park back in April. Duly delivering, Mavlyutov was never realistically threatened.
Launching impressively from pole to take a good lead into Riches, after seeing off some early attention from his pursuers the Hillspeed driver began to edge away from lap five and by lap six his advantage was over a second. During the second half the race Mavlyutov began to dominate, opening an eventual winning margin of 3.6 seconds.
From ninth on the grid Xie aimed high as he too targeted a strong finish to the weekend, but after being put wide into the Wilson Hairpin on lap one he dropped outside the top 20. With several others encountering trouble at points, Xie was able to capitalise and he eventually took the flag on lap 14 in 17th position. Not indicative of his true pace throughout the event.
Daniel Mavlyutov – Rd12 Winner:
“For me it was pretty good, I got a decent start, stayed in P1 until the end of lap two. I knew at the end of lap two, that’s it – the positions were set. Once I got a decent gap behind me I just managed it, didn’t over-push and tried not to make mistakes.
“I was worried about making mistakes and losing the gap I’d built up. I drove without making mistakes and kept it once I pulled out. It was a positive end to the weekend after struggling with the other two races, it was a good finish to the weekend.”
Richard Ollerenshaw – Hillspeed Team Principal:
“Daniel was very impressive in race three, a great start, sensible first few laps and then a fantastic performance during the second half to win so comfortably. The car was working well and Daniel didn’t put a wheel wrong to be honest, showing what he can do if we can get qualifying nailed and find the sweet-spot there with him.
“It was a tough weekend for Gerrard, he had some decent pace but the three races just didn’t work out for him. Overtaking in the pack is always pretty tough around Snetterton 300, so he’ll be looking forward to heading back to Silverstone next and pushing for the kind of results he achieved at Spa.”
Hillspeed and the GB3 contenders will make their second visit of the season to Silverstone Grand Prix Circuit in Northamptonshire next, over the weekend 29th/30th July, for rounds 13, 14 and 15.
GB3 Championship Driver Standings (after Rd12)
17th Gerrard Xie, 80pts; 22nd Daniel Mavlyutov, 62pts
GB3 Championship – Team Standings (after Rd12)
8th Hillspeed, 138pts
