Chloe Grant had a solid weekend at Donington Park, securing her third top-five finish of the GB4 Championship season in mixed weather conditions and helping KMR Sport to the team's championship title.
Chloe Grant returned to the top five in the GB4 Championship during the sixth round at Donington Park, in a challenging yet rewarding weekend for the Scottish driver, who displayed strong pace in both wet and dry conditions and showcased her racecraft by battling hard in all three races.
Returning to Donington, where she had scored two sixth-place finishes earlier in May, Grant aimed to build on her momentum from Silverstone after a five-week break, which she spent training on the simulator.
Back in the car at Donington, Chloe had to make up for a lost testing day on Thursday, joining the field on Friday and progressively building speed. She made good progress with the team finding a setup and quickly adapting to the conditions, closing the day with a time of 1:30.070, close to the top ten.
Qualifying on Saturday saw a wet, although drying, racing line. Early on, a red flag caused by Ava Dobson stranded at Old Hairpin interrupted the session. With nine minutes remaining, Chloe still hadn't set a representative time but quickly moved into the top five, before slotting into P7. After further improvements, she briefly ran fourth before securing eighth for both races 1 and 2 with a 1:41.495.
The first race of the weekend kicked off under drizzle, creating tricky conditions just before the start, but all drivers opted for slick tyres. Chloe made a great start, immediately gaining a position to move into P7. Up ahead, her KMR Sport teammate, Lucas Blakely, surged into the lead after a dramatic opening lap.
Just ahead of Grant, Templeton spun at the Melbourne Hairpin, forcing Grant to quickly react. For much of the race, Chloe displayed solid pace, comfortably defending her position from Megan Bruce, who applied constant pressure.
The battle was intense, with Chloe showcasing her defensive skills; however, as the rain intensified around lap 10, the challenging conditions caught Chloe off guard. She briefly dropped a wheel off track and slid through the gravel, then managed to rejoin the race in P10. It was an unfortunate end to an otherwise strong performance, which still secured her a top ten finish in the first contest of the weekend.
Race 2 took place in fully wet conditions on Sunday morning, with chiallenging visibility and grip levels. At the start, Chloe held her eighth-place starting position while pole sitter Finn Harrison lost out to Linus Granfors, who took the early lead.
Chloe cautiously approached the opening laps, ensuring she stayed out of trouble as she settled into the race. Wilson, who started ahead of her, made an error and dropped to seventh, allowing Chloe to catch the Arden Motorsport driver, while Megan Bruce once again loomed close behind.
As the race progressed, Chloe found a good rhythm in the rain, setting competitive lap times in the opening stages and holding off Bruce. However, as the rain began to ease slightly mid-race, the track started to dry. Unfortunately for Grant, her car setup was geared towards heavier rain, and as the track conditions improved, she began to experience understeer.
Struggling to keep up with Wilson, Chloe focused on defending from Bruce. By lap 10, Bruce found a way past her, dropping Chloe to P9. Despite this, she fought hard until the end, crossing the line in ninth and adding more points to her championship tally.
The final race of the weekend was the reverse grid race, offering Chloe a strong starting position in fifth. Unlike the previous two races, the track was finally dry, setting the stage for an exciting showdown.
When the lights went out, both front-row drivers struggled with their starts, allowing Harry Burgoyne to rocket from fourth on the grid into the lead. Lucas Blakely and Dan Hickey followed, while Chloe capitalized on the slow starts ahead, launching into fourth place with a superb getaway.
As the race settled in, Grant found herself soon under pressure from a charging Alisha Palmowski, who was determined to make her way up the order. Chloe defended with determination, using the full width of the circuit to keep Palmowski at bay, as the pair began to close in on Hickey for third. Palmowski eventually made a move at the chicane, as Grant then had to fend off further challenges from Ellis and Harrison.
Nevertheless, Chloe held her ground well, keeping pace with the leading pack and maintaining a strong fifth position. Harrison eventually found a way past but was handed a penalty, which meant Chloe was still in contention to hold onto her top-five spot.
In the final laps, Granfors attempted to challenge Grant, but the Scottish driver showcased excellent defensive skills once more, holding off the championship leader to retain her position. She crossed the line in fifth, securing her third top-five finish of the season after her impressive performances at Oulton Park and Silverstone.
It was another strong weekend for Grant, who demonstrated her ability to race smartly and consistently in different conditions. The Donington round was in fact highly productive, with three point-scoring finishes that helped KMR Sport clinch the team’s championship title.
Heading into the final round at Brands Hatch, Chloe Grant sits ninth in the standings with 174 points, ready for a strong finish to the season on September 28-29.
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