Deagen Fairclough, Nikita Bedrin and Abbi Pulling reflected on a dramatic opening 2026 GB3 race at Donington Park after completing the podium following a tense 19-lap contest.
Fairclough claimed his fourth victory of the season and third from the past four races after passing polesitter Bedrin around the outside of Redgate on the opening lap. The Hitech driver then resisted several attacks from the championship leader during the closing stages to win by 0.317s, while Pulling secured her second podium of the season in third for Rodin Motorsport.
The result continued Fairclough’s recent momentum, while Bedrin still added another substantial points haul to his championship campaign. For Pulling, the podium provided a welcome result after a season she admitted has been far more difficult than expected.
Fairclough praises Bedrin after intense 2026 GB3 Donington Park Race 1 fight
Fairclough knew Bedrin would provide a significant challenge after the VRD Racing driver beat him to pole position by 0.056s earlier on Saturday. The Hitech driver made the decisive move immediately, sweeping around Bedrin at Redgate, but spent much of the race unable to break away.
Bedrin repeatedly attacked during the final 10 minutes, including several attempts around the outside of Turn 1, but Fairclough held his position each time. The winner praised his rival’s pace and expects another similarly close fight when he starts Race 2 from pole.
“Yeah, I mean, Nikita didn’t make it easy. He had really strong pace, so fair play to him. Tomorrow’s race is going to be really interesting, but hopefully we can get the same start and do the same thing.”
Although Fairclough remained confident in his defensive ability, he knew even a small mistake could have opened the door for Bedrin. The difficulty of following closely at Donington also increased the importance of retaining the lead once he had secured it.
“Yeah, you could say that, but I was confident in my defence. It was just making sure I didn’t have any mistakes because he was very quick, and I knew I would struggle behind him in the dirty air. I just want to say a massive thank you to the team. They’ve been doing an awesome job, and the car has felt mega this weekend.”
Fairclough credits Hitech’s recent progress
Fairclough’s victory extended an impressive sequence for both driver and team. He has now won three of the past four races, while Hitech has taken four consecutive victories across the recent rounds.
The Brit believes that run reflects a significant step forward in performance during the second half of the season. After dominating all six pre-event test sessions at Donington, he also demonstrated that the team’s pace could translate into race-winning form despite Bedrin’s strong challenge.
“Yeah, I mean, we’ve definitely made a good step forward and hopefully, like I said, this second half is a strong one.”
Fairclough will start Race 2 from pole after setting the fastest time in the second Qualifying session. His approach, however, will remain largely unchanged despite now having the advantage over Bedrin on the grid.
“Similar, just having fun really, just enjoying it. Results come along the way when you enjoy it.”
Bedrin satisfied with valuable 2026 GB3 championship points after Race 1 at Donington Park
Bedrin left Race 1 disappointed not to convert pole into victory but remained satisfied with another strong points finish.
The championship leader stayed within striking distance throughout the race and attempted several moves on Fairclough, particularly at Redgate. However, he remained conscious of the wider championship situation and avoided forcing an opportunity that could have resulted in contact or retirement.
“Yeah, of course, it’s a shame that I couldn’t convert the pole position into victory, but, you know, where I am in the championship right now, I don’t need to risk any crazy moves. I was trying to put pressure on him, but this is not an easy track to overtake at, so I think I’ve done quite well. Of course, there are a few things I could have done a bit better, but it’s still very good points for us. This is exactly what we need and not trying to do anything out of this world.”
His approach echoed his comments after Qualifying, when he explained that consistency had become more important than taking unnecessary risks for a small points gain.
Bedrin focuses on controlling his own championship
Bedrin’s championship position improved further when fellow contender Maxim Rehm endured a difficult race. The Rodin Motorsport driver spun while battling teammate Pulling and retired after completing eight laps.
While that outcome helped Bedrin, he stressed that his focus remains on delivering consistent performances rather than worrying about circumstances affecting his rivals.
“Yeah, I mean, it’s all about me being consistent from my side. I cannot really control what happens to others. As long as I do my job, as I said, it’s all that matters to me. I could have done it a bit better today, of course, but I still take it because we are fighting for the championship, and points are points.”
Bedrin will have another opportunity to fight Fairclough on Sunday, although their positions reverse for Race 2. Fairclough starts from pole this time, with the VRD driver alongside him on the front row.
Pulling survives first-lap scare to reach podium
Pulling’s route to third included an early scare that could easily have ended her race before the podium fight properly developed.
The Rodin driver made an excellent launch and briefly found herself in contention near the front, but later experienced contact that left her worried about possible rear-right damage. She escaped without a puncture and settled into a consistent rhythm once the race stabilised.
“It’s been a bit of a disaster, and it was almost another DNF there. I don’t know if you saw it.”
Explaining the incident further, Pulling admitted she initially feared another retirement during a season already interrupted by several non-finishes.
“Minding my own business in a car, all of a sudden this is a braking zone! Anyway, things happen, but I luckily came away all right. A little bit of damage to my rear right, maybe, but no puncture, which is the biggest worry when stuff like that happens. Yeah, happy to finish, and the pace there was all right. I mean, these boys were down the road all weekend, so I think we found a little bit more that race for sure. But I think I maximised that, quite happy with that. Got a good launch and was at the inside at one point trying to go for the lead, but wasn’t quite there. Yeah, it was aggressive, and then once everything all kicked off with Max, just keeping consistent. I think every lap I did was about within a tenth, so quite happy with that.”
Her consistency ultimately proved enough for third after Rehm’s spin removed one of her closest rivals from contention.
Pulling hopes Donington Park podium can turn difficult 2026 GB3 season around
Pulling described her 2026 campaign as a difficult one in which repeated retirements have prevented her from consistently demonstrating her pace. Donington therefore provided an important reminder of what she can achieve when able to complete a race cleanly.
The podium gives her some momentum before Sunday, although her starting positions for the remaining races leave a greater recovery challenge.
“Yeah, I mean, there’s no hiding it’s been a bit of a disaster. I think I’ve DNF’d almost more races than I’ve finished, through my own luck mostly not. Yeah, trying to turn it around at the end of the year, this is a good step in the right direction. Tomorrow’s going to be tough, starting like eighth and 11th, so that’s not great. I got cracked with the red flags in Quali, as did others, but yeah, it shows what I’m capable of. I hope, you know, the right people are watching and can see what I can do because it’s there, it’s there. It’s just putting it together for me a little bit, for sure. But I just really hope people can see that I’m trying my best, and this is a good step in the right direction.”
The Rodin driver also hopes the result demonstrates her potential beyond the immediate championship standings, particularly after several weekends where circumstances prevented her from converting pace into results.
Pulling thanks supporters after second podium
Pulling acknowledged the pressure that comes with having a large group of sponsors, partners, family members and supporters backing her racing career.
She admitted that disappointing results can sometimes leave her feeling as though she is not repaying that support, making the Donington podium particularly meaningful. Several family members were also present to watch her reach the rostrum for only the second time this season.
“Yeah, exactly. I mean, I almost get a bit of imposter syndrome sometimes. I’ve got so many people in my corner, and it does add a lot of pressure. I do it to myself a bit because there are so many people I feel I’m letting down sometimes.
“So this is nice to get the monkey off my back and just give thanks to them. Not only my family, who all came down today, which is nice for them to see because they’ve not seen me have a podium before, and so on and so forth, but my sponsors and partners that come along and support me. It gets me racing.
“Even on the front wing, you know, you talk about sometimes my fans on the front wing that pay a little bit to help me go out racing, and it means the world. It keeps me going, it keeps me circulating, and I hope, you know, the message that I can give out is paying back, doing justice, and showing where I can compete at the front, no matter the gender. That’s important.”
For Fairclough, Bedrin and Pulling, Race 1 delivered three different outcomes but three encouraging performances. Fairclough strengthened his recent winning run, Bedrin continued accumulating the points required for his title push, while Pulling finally converted her pace into another podium after a frustrating season.
