Rodin Motorsport’s Alex Ninovic delivered a composed and commanding drive to win the second GB3 Championship race of the weekend at the Hungaroring. Starting from pole, the Australian made a clean getaway and immediately defended from Hitech TGR’s Keanu Al Azhari, who attempted to attack around the outside into turn one.
Behind them, chaos erupted as Xcel’s Jack Sherwood locked up under braking and collided with JHR’s Kai Daryanani. The incident forced Yuanpu Cui and Elite Motorsport’s Flynn Jackes and Bianca Bustamante across the run-off area in avoidance. Both Sherwood and Daryanani retired on the spot, triggering an immediate safety car.
Safety Car and restart drama
The leading pair of Ninovic and Al Azhari had already broken clear of the pack when the safety car was deployed. Once the stricken cars were cleared, racing resumed on lap three. Ninovic nailed the restart and quickly re-established a gap, while Al Azhari stuck close behind in the opening laps.
Separated by less than a second throughout the middle phase of the race, the two front-runners pushed hard in the Hungarian heat. Ninovic gradually eased clear from lap nine onwards, edging out of DRS range and extending his lead to nearly two seconds by the chequered flag.
Midfield battles light up the race
While the fight for the lead stabilised, the midfield produced some of the most entertaining action of the day. Elite’s Will Macintyre engaged in another fierce scrap with Hitech’s Deagen Fairclough. Macintyre initially passed Fairclough for fifth after the restart, only to be repassed shortly after and then demoted by VRD’s Hugo Schwarze.
Undeterred, Macintyre fought back. He overtook Schwarze at turn two on lap five, set after Fairclough once more, and completed the move on the final lap to reclaim fifth. Fairclough therefore had to settle for sixth, just ahead of Schwarze, who bounced back strongly after retiring in race one.
Xcel Motorsport’s Patrick Heuzenroeder claimed eighth, while Rodin’s Abbi Pulling recovered well after dropping to 10th on the opening lap. She repassed Argenti’s Reza Seewooruthun late in the race to secure ninth, leaving the Argenti driver to round out the top 10.
Penalty alters the podium
Initially, JHR’s Noah Lisle crossed the line third, seven seconds behind Al Azhari and just over a second clear of Rodin’s Gianmarco Pradel. However, post-race penalties reshaped the order. Officials handed Lisle a one-place drop for forcing Pradel off track, promoting Pradel to the final step of the podium and demoting Lisle to fourth.
In a separate decision, Sherwood received a three-place grid penalty for race three as punishment for his lap-one collision with Daryanani.
Ninovic strengthens grip on title Race
Ninovic’s victory, his third of the season after triumphs at Zandvoort and Spa-Francorchamps, further tightened his hold on the championship lead. With a 32-point advantage heading into the final race of the weekend, the Australian has placed himself firmly in control of the title fight.
Classification (Amended): Hungaroring: Race 2
- Alex Ninovic – Rodin Motorsport, 15 laps
- Keanu Al Azhari – Hitech TGR, +1.762s
- Gianmarco Pradel – Rodin Motorsport, +9.611s
- Noah Lisle – JHR Developments, 3-place grind penalty applied
- Will Macintyre – Elite Motorsport, +13.586s
- Deagen Fairclough – Hitech TGR, +15.646s
- Hugo Schwarze – VRD Racing, +19.879s
- Patrick Heuzenroeder – Xcel Motorsport, +20.599s
- Abbi Pulling – Rodin Motorsport, +21.135s
- Reza Seewooruthun – Argenti with Prema, +29.024s
- Lucas Fluxa – Argenti with Prema, +30.152s
- Yuanpu Cui – Argenti with Prema, +30.573s
- Bianca Bustamante – Elite Motorsport, +32.511s
- Flynn Jackes – Elite Motorsport, +33.127s
DNF. Kai Daryanani – JHR Developments, 0 laps
DNF. Jack Sherwood – Xcel Motorsport, 0 laps
