Elite Motorsport’s Jesse Phillips secured victory in the inaugural GB4 Championship Winter Series at Snetterton following a dramatic final race weekend.
GB4 Winter Series Action at Snetterton
Conor Grant secured pole position and converted it into a win in the opening race, fending off an early challenge from British Formula 4 race winner George Proudford-Nalder. The Douglas Motorsport pair created a gap before battling on the final lap, where Grant maintained his lead despite a challenge at Agostini bend. Jesse Phillips finished third, John O’Donnell took fourth, and Lewis Goff secured fifth ahead of Harrison Mackie.
During a wet second race, Phillips overtook Proudford-Nalder around the outside at Brundle on the opening lap to take the lead, while Grant dropped back following a slow start. A three-car collision triggered a red flag, after which Phillips managed the rolling restart to claim victory ahead of team-mates Mackie and O’Donnell, with Proudford-Nalder finishing fourth.
Proudford-Nalder bounced back in race three under improved conditions, launching from the second row to squeeze between Mackie and Phillips on the start. The Australian held off pressure from Mackie to win, while Chase Fernandez of R Racing finished third ahead of Goff. Grant outfought O’Donnell to claim fifth place.
The final race featured an early safety car following a first-lap collision. Proudford-Nalder moved into second and challenged Mackie at the restart before defending against Phillips. The three drivers raced three-wide into Wilson on the following lap, and a subsequent move two corners later resulted in a collision between Proudford-Nalder and Mackie. Phillips inherited the lead and won ahead of Fernandez, while Proudford-Nalder fought back to third on the final lap. However, a post-race one-place penalty for the collision dropped him to fourth, securing the championship title for Phillips.
Ginetta Junior Winter Series Decider
Sebastien Leusch captured the Ginetta Junior Winter Series crown after finishing on the podium in all four races, as reported by Autosport.com. The R Racing competitor overtook team-mate Louis Radcliffe with two laps remaining to win the opening race, while Elite drivers Jacob Ashcroft and Finlay Lines pushed Radcliffe down to fourth on the final tour.
Lines moved from fourth to first on the opening lap of race two. Although briefly passed by Ashcroft, Lines capitalised on a mistake by his rival at Riches on the final lap to retake the lead and win. Leusch finished third behind Dominic Darling, who recovered from seventh on the grid.
In race three, Radcliffe converted pole position into an early lead and pulled away to win by 7.7 seconds. Leusch fought past Ashcroft and Lines to claim second place in a chaotic battle that culminated in Ashcroft spinning at the final corner while attempting a late move, which also hindered Lines. Noah Baglin finished third to complete an all-R Racing podium.
Lines spun out in the final race after making contact with title rival Leusch. Radcliffe took the victory, with Leusch finishing second to secure the championship and Ashcroft recovering to take third place.
