Nitrous Competitions ADM Racing driver Luke Hilton has endured a turbulent start to his second GB4 campaign, combining front-running speed with penalties, incidents and missed opportunities. The British driver demonstrated his potential immediately at Silverstone, where he set the fastest time in both Qualifying sessions. However, a yellow-flag infringement removed both pole positions and sent him to 29th on the grid for all three races.
Hilton responded with determined recovery drives and gained dozens of places across the weekend. He produced his strongest result in Race 1, climbing 21 positions to finish eighth. However, further drama in Race 3 handed him a grid penalty for the opening contest at Oulton Park.
Hilton takes responsibility after difficult Qualifying session
Hilton qualified fourth for the first race at Oulton Park, but the penalty from Silverstone dropped him to ninth on the grid. Before the race, he admitted that he had not maximised the car’s potential during Qualifying.
“We had a mega set up on the car for Qualifying, but I just couldn’t extract the time out of myself, so that’s my fault on my behalf,” he admitted to GB4. “But in the race I got a DNF sadly, no-ones fault and the team did a mega job and worked their hearts out on the Sunday to get the car ready again.”
The retirement denied Hilton an opportunity to recover further championship ground. Nevertheless, ADM Racing repaired the car and allowed him to return for the remaining two races.
Strong start helps Hilton secure fifth place
Hilton started Race 2 from sixth and immediately attacked the drivers ahead. He gained one position and finished fifth, collecting valuable points after the disappointment of the opening contest.
“In race two, we got a mega start and finished a place ahead of where I started, so I was fifth.
The result gave Hilton renewed momentum before the final race of the weekend. Once again, he launched strongly from the grid and quickly moved into contention near the front.
Red flag interrupts another rapid launch
Hilton initially climbed to sixth in Race 3, but a red flag halted his progress and forced the field to restart. He then produced another excellent getaway and reached fourth by the exit of Turn 2.
“In race three I had a start which saw me go up to P6 but there was a red flag. We had to regrid and restart the race, and I got off the line really well again. By the exit of turn two I was already up to P4.
“We stayed there until I was battling the guy in third, who backed me up going into the last corner, and I got massively held up there, which meant [Connor] Willis was able to go around the outside of me under braking into the last corner.
“That pushed me into the clutches of Enzo Hallman, who was able to get me into turn one. I finished P7, which wasn’t bad and overall we collected decent points.”
Although Hilton lost several positions during the closing stages, he still completed the race in seventh and added another solid points finish to his weekend.
Silverstone speed strengthens Donington belief
Hilton has already shown that he can challenge at the front when he avoids setbacks. His double pole performance at Silverstone highlighted his outright speed, while his recovery drives demonstrated his ability to move through the field.
As a result, he will approach Donington Park with confidence. Hilton also performed strongly at the circuit during pre-season testing, which gives him further encouragement ahead of the next round.
“We clearly have the pace,” he acknowledged, “but there’s points that we need to prove to be stronger down the road at Donington. So we will do our best to be down the road at Donington and we can make it happen.
“If you look at the stats, at Donington Park, in pre-season we were very, very strong, and I think there’s things to take away and learn from on my behalf from last time out.
“We need to carry that to Donington and with strong pace and good confidence that we can stick it on pole like we did at Silverstone, and go on and win. I can’t wait because it’s one of my strongest tracks, let’s see what we can deliver.”
Hilton now aims to convert his pace into a complete weekend. After penalties and incidents disrupted the opening rounds, Donington offers him another opportunity to fight for pole position, secure his first victory of the season and begin a sustained climb up the GB4 standings.
