Hitech head to Zandvoort for GB3 Round 2
Round 2 - Zandvoort - Preview
The sand dunes of Zandvoort welcome the Hitech TGR squad as we embark on the first of four overseas trips in the GB3 Championship this season. The seaside venue is set to provide a real test of the new, more powerful GB3 car – but with a former race winner returning to the Dutch venue, hopes are high heading into the weekend.
In only his third GB3 outing last season, Nikita Johnson took victory at Zandvoort after quickly adapting to the high-speed nature of the circuit. The American racer, who sits third in this year’s Drivers’ Championship after the opening round at Silverstone, is hoping for a repeat performance this weekend.
Nikita Johnson:
“Amongst the European circuits, Zandvoort is unique with its banked corners and I think I just had a natural affinity for it when I won there last year.”
The 16-year-old continued:
“I’m used to tracks with off-camber corners, which Zandvoort has a lot of. I made a pass on the inside of Turn 3, using the banking to scrub off speed, which was a little unorthodox but it worked. It’s a challenging track, and not many people have driven a track like it, so it was a great place for me to perform last year.”
After scoring 25 points at the Silverstone season opener, Keanu Al Azhari is also looking for a good result on GB3’s overseas trip to the Netherlands and he might be at an advantage, having previously driven this circuit in a more powerful car.
Keanu Al Azhari:
“I drove Zandvoort in an LMP3 car last year in the Prototype Cup Germany. It’s an incredible track - people call it a rollercoaster and they’re right.”
Keanu continued:
“I absolutely love it. It’s unique with all the banking and elevation changes. I’ve got a few tricks up my sleeve there too… but I’ll keep those to myself for now!”
After a difficult start to the year, reigning British F4 champion Deagen Fairclough will be hoping his performance at Silverstone’s final race – in which he made up 18 positions – will be replicated this weekend, although he knows overtaking will be much harder at the Dutch venue, despite the addition of DRS this year.
Deagen Fairclough:
“Zandvoort is one of my favourite circuits. It’s a flowing track with very little room for mistakes. ”
Deagen added:
“The high-speed corners are great, and I can’t wait to carry more speed through them in the GB3 car compared to the F4 car which I drove there last year.”
After testing and practice, the competitive action gets underway with qualifying on Saturday morning followed by Race 1 at 16:25. Race 2 and 3 on Sunday are at 11:10 and 16:15 (all timings local).