The final day of pre-race testing at Donington Park provided a dramatic preview of the weekend’s GB3 Championship action. Persistent rain created unpredictable conditions, forcing drivers to adapt quickly across three sessions. Championship leader Alex Ninovic set the overall fastest lap of the day in the morning, while Hitech’s Keanu Al Azhari and Deagen Fairclough also took turns at the top as the track evolved. The result was a tightly contested classification, with less than six tenths separating the top seven drivers and momentum shifting between Rodin Motorsport and Hitech TGR.
Ninovic leads opening session
Championship leader Alex Ninovic made the strongest start to the final test day at Donington Park by topping the first session in extremely wet conditions. The Rodin Motorsport driver set a best time of 1m35.002s, steering clear of trouble during two red-flag interruptions. He edged Hitech’s Deagen Fairclough by just 0.052s, with Gianmarco Pradel securing third for Rodin, three tenths further back.
Although the circuit remained treacherous throughout, Ninovic’s lap stood as the quickest of the day. His pace provided an early psychological boost, particularly with the title fight approaching its decisive stages. Fairclough’s consistency, however, ensured that Hitech continued to apply pressure, while Al Azhari and Pulling also maintained strong pace for their respective teams.
Al Azhari responds in second session
The second session unfolded under even heavier rain, and as a result, lap times slowed by nearly two seconds compared to the morning. In these challenging conditions, Keanu Al Azhari, who was the top performer on Thursday, delivered a composed performance to top the order with a 1m36.967s. His teammate Fairclough once again followed closely in second, underlining Hitech’s strength on the wet Donington circuit.
Behind them, Abbi Pulling impressed for Rodin by taking third, while Xcel Motorsport’s Patrick Heuzenroeder claimed fourth. However, the session was not without drama. Lucas Fluxa of Hillspeed caused a red flag after sliding into the gravel at the Craner Curves, and Reza Seewooruthun also brought out the red flag with a late off at Redgate. Despite these interruptions, the field gained valuable wet-weather mileage ahead of a crucial weekend.
Ninovic finished sixth, remaining within sight of the leaders, while Jack Sherwood followed in seventh for Xcel. Further back, Max Taylor of RACE LAB and Patricio Gonzalez of VRD Racing completed the top ten.
Fairclough on top in closing session
Although conditions remained unsettled into the afternoon, Deagen Fairclough finally moved to the top of the timesheets in the day’s third session. His consistency across all three runs confirmed Hitech’s competitive edge in the wet. However, because lap times did not improve in the final outing, Ninovic’s benchmark from the morning remained the fastest of the day overall.
This outcome set the stage for a fascinating qualifying battle, with both Ninovic and Hitech’s young duo of Fairclough and Al Azhari showing race-winning pace.
Ninovic ahead by fractions
When times from all three sessions were combined, Ninovic retained the top spot with his morning benchmark, just 0.048s ahead of Fairclough. Pradel followed in third, while Al Azhari and Pulling completed a tightly-packed top five. Less than six tenths separated the top seven drivers, which highlighted the remarkable competitiveness in the field despite the difficult conditions.
Combined classification: Donington Park: Testing Day 2
- Alex Ninovic, Rodin Motorsport, 1m35.002s
- Deagen Fairclough, Hitech TGR, +0.048s
- Gianmarco Pradel, Rodin Motorsport, +0.372s
- Keanu Al Azhari, Hitech TGR, +0.504s
- Abbi Pulling, Rodin Motorsport, +0.529s
- Reza Seewooruthun, Argenti with Prema, +0.565s
- Liam McNeilly, Fox Motorsport, +0.573s
- Lucas Fluxa, Hillspeed, +0.657s
- Enzo Tarnvanichkul, VRD Racing, +0.794s
- Noah Lisle, JHR Developments, +0.826s
- Jack Sherwood, Xcel Motorsport, +0.851s
- Patrick Heuzenroeder, Xcel Motorsport, +0.871s
- Max Taylor, RACE LAB, +0.930s
- Kai Daryanani, JHR Developments, +1.273s
- Flynn Jackes, Elite Motorsport, +1.362s
- Kabir Anurag, Xcel Motorsport, +1.506s
- Patricio Gonzalez, VRD Racing, +1.518s
- Bart Harrison, JHR Developments, +1.568s
- Rodrigo Gonzalez, VRD Racing, +1.781s
- Bianca Bustamante, Elite Motorsport, +2.535s
Looking ahead to racing action
The test day at Donington Park highlighted both the unpredictability of the weather and the razor-thin margins between the front-runners. Ninovic heads into qualifying with momentum, but Hitech’s pairing of Fairclough and Al Azhari remain formidable challengers. With double qualifying scheduled tomorrow morning, followed by the first race in the afternoon, the championship fight promises to intensify further on the historic Leicestershire circuit.
