Hitech return to GB3 action at the Hungaroring
Round 4 - Hungaroring - Preview
Hitech TGR travel to Hungary this weekend (4-6 July) as the GB3 Championship resumes following a month’s break – and the fight for both the Drivers’ and Teams’ titles is heating up.
This is GB3’s second-ever visit to the technical Hungaroring, situated on the outskirts of the Hungarian capital Budapest. Known for its relentless sequence of corners, the 2.72-mile Grand Prix venue is a notoriously tough challenge.
Hitech enjoyed a memorable weekend on the series’ inaugural visit to the Hungaroring last year, locking out the top two positions in the opening race with Gerrard Xie – now racing with us in FIA F3 – claiming a breakthrough maiden victory. We’ll be hoping to channel that same momentum as we look to increase our margin at the top of the Teams’ Championship, which stands at just five points heading into Round 4.
In the Drivers’ standings, Deagen Fairclough currently holds third place – just 32 points off the top spot – as he continues his rookie campaign. This will be Deagen’s first competitive outing at the Hungaroring, but the reigning British F4 champion is looking forward to getting out on track.
Deagen Fairclough:
“That’s right, I’ve never actually been there before, but I’ve done a lot of sim work on the track. It’s a really exciting circuit with a lot of corners, but I think tyre wear will be tricky, as there isn’t much opportunity to cool the tyres on the straights.”
Meanwhile, Keanu Al Azhari is relishing the warm temperatures predicted for this weekend, where hydration and physical fitness will be important factors. He’ll use the test sessions on Thursday and Friday to hone the best setup for when qualifying gets underway on Saturday morning.
Keanu Al Azhari:
“It’s a very technical track, not one many junior drivers have loads of experience on, so I think it’ll be a bit of a level playing field. It’ll be all about maximising the limited testing we have. I’m excited to go there - some of the sectors look great and you have to really nail the kerbs. Plus, it’s going to be hot in Hungary, which suits me perfectly coming from Dubai!”
American racer Nikita Johnson will not be taking part in this weekend’s GB3 event. Instead, he steps up to join Hitech’s FIA F3 line-up at the British Grand Prix.
Race one gets underway on Saturday at 17:20 (local time, CEST) with Sunday’s races starting at 11:05 and 17:40 respectively.