Hitech GB3’s Keanu Al Azhari victorious at Silverstone
Round 5 - Silverstone - Report
Keanu Al Azhari scored his maiden GB3 Championship win at Silverstone, delivering Hitech TGR their first victory of the year with the new-spec GB3 car. The triumph came after a hard-fought battle in Race 2 on Sunday morning, and a delighted Keanu leapt from his pink-liveried machine to celebrate with his family and team members in the pit lane after the race.
Unfortunately, the win came after his Hitech team-mate Deagen Fairclough was involved in an incident while battling for the lead, which eliminated him from the race. Keanu swept into P1 but lost the position a lap later after making a small mistake. He then made the move stick on the penultimate lap to secure the victory.
Keanu Al Azhari:
“This is an incredible result. I’m delighted to get the first win of the season for Hitech in GB3. I settled into the race quite nicely and took whatever opportunity I could find. I got ahead when Deagen had contact and the pace was looking good, but I hit oil or something and ran off the track [to lose the lead]. That put more pressure on, but I was able to come back to take the win.”
It was a strong weekend for the Emirati, who also finished on the podium in the opening race after starting P7 on the grid. Race 1 required a second formation lap, but when it eventually got going, both Hitech machines quickly made progress. Deagen made a spectacular move at the Vale chicane and into Club, passing two cars that were battling ahead. Keanu was running fourth and made a great move to pass Deagen on the exit of Luffield to secure his podium finish.
The third-placed Alpine Academy driver was pleased with his pace in the final segment of the race: “I was really enjoying myself out there and the car came together really well,” said Keanu. “There were some close moments and lovely battles and I’m very happy to take home a podium.”
Deagen started on the front row of the grid for Race 2 and led at the end of the first lap, just before a Safety Car was deployed to recover a car from the side of the track. On the restart, he held onto the lead with a bold defence into Copse corner, but was overtaken on the Wellington Straight. He immediately tried to reclaim the position into Brooklands, but his race ended prematurely.
Deagen Fairclough:
“Racing for the lead is always challenging, as you always want to come out on top. But I take full responsibility and hold my hands up. I just had a little bit of contact with the left rear wheel of the car in front and that ended both of our races. I’ve said sorry and have learned from the mistake.”
In a fraught reverse-grid race, both Deagen and Keanu retired with accident damage. Keanu leaves Silverstone fourth overall in the drivers’ standings, having accrued 59 points over the weekend, while Deagen is P7 overall. The next outing for GB3 is at Brands Hatch on August 23–24.
