Rodin Motorsports’ Louis Sharp has returned to the lead of the GB3 Championship with a runner-up result in the opening race at Silverstone.
Sharp was beaten by only JHR Developments’ John Bennett in the first of three races but takes the championship lead after Tymek Kucharczyk failed to finish.
Jacob Douglas also enjoyed a strong debut for Chris Dittman Racing, climbing from 21st to finish 17th in his first-ever race at the venue.
“It was a good race,” Sharp said after the chequered flag. “Starting from P2, I got the lead into Turn 1, and then McKenzy (Cresswell) and I had a bit of a battle coming through Maggotts and Becketts. John (Bennett) was able to get a run on both of us, so it’s unfortunate not to get the win, but at the end of the day, it’s still really good points.
“I believe we’re back in the lead of the championship now, which is good; it’s where we should be, so overall, it’s been a good day. But we still need to push for a win tomorrow.
“I had to be careful [in the battle with Cresswell] as I’m fighting for the championship, so I can’t afford to have a crash or an incident, but at the end of the day, you still want to do the best you can. It’s a balance of what you can get and what you can’t, but it was a good battle, and I was able to stay ahead, which is nice.
“I’m not sure what happened to him. I think there was an incident behind, and the safety car was out for a few laps, but it’s been a good day. There’s more to work on for tomorrow.”
Having qualified second behind McKenzy Cresswell, Sharp took the lead on the run down to Copse on the first lap. Cresswell fought back through Maggotts and Becketts, with the pair going wheel to wheel at high speed.
As they battled, Bennett, who started fourth but jumped to third at the expense of CTFROC alumnus Gerrard Xie, squeezed between the pair to take the lead at Stowe.
Cresswell and Sharp continued their duel, which allowed Kucharczyk to get a run on them. However, the pole-sitter and the championship leader collided at Stowe, leaving the latter’s car stranded in the gravel.
A Safety Car was required to retrieve his car, and racing resumed on Lap 6.
Bennett held his lead off the restart and won 1.2 seconds ahead of Sharp. Jarrod Waberski completed the podium ahead of Xie, while Cresswell recovered for seventh. He does, however, remain under investigation following his incident with Kucharczyk.
Sharp’s Rodin Motorsports teammate Ugo Ugochukwu also enjoyed a strong outing for eighth.
Sharp now holds a four-point lead in the standings over Bennett, with Kucharczyk dropping to third, nine points behind the Kiwi.
Cresswell will also start Race 2 from the pole alongside Sharp, with Bennett lining up third next to Waberski. Kucharczyk starts on the third row in fifth, while Douglas begins from 19th.
Race 2 begins at 9.55 pm NZST, ahead of the weekend’s finale at 2.15 am.
Both races can be watched on a free live stream on YouTube.
Header Image: GB3 Championship
