Alisha Palmowski topped the final GB4 Championship testing session on Friday ahead of the season opening round at Oulton Park this weekend.
The Elite Motorsport driver went to the top towards the end of the session, taking advantage of the dry track conditions to set a 1m26.729s. She was followed by Harry Burgoyne who was just 0.057s behind, and his KMR Sport teammate Brandon McCaughan 0.079s further back in third.
Fortec Motorsports’ Linus Granfors’ best effort left him 0.189s off the top in fourth place, continuing his excellent pace for the team while Callum Baxter followed him for Graham Brunton Racing, 0.285s off.
All of the top five had stints at the top of the timing sheets in the final test ahead of qualifying, in what is shaping up to be an extremely close GB4 field, with the top five in the session separated by less than three tenths of a second.
Finn Harrison was sixth fastest, 0.846s behind his Elite Motorsport teammate and the final driver within a second. Fortec’s Jack Taylor was seventh ahead of Arden’s Leon Wilson, KMR Sport’s Chloe Grant and Fox Motorsport’s Branden Templeton who rounded out the top ten.
Palmowski’s top time didn’t beat her storming session one lap time but her rivals in second to fifth all set their best times of the day in the last test. Her 1m36.361s lap this morning was still 0.425s faster than Burgoyne’s afternoon effort with the top five order the same as today’s second session.
"It was a really close session, especially at the end there," Palmowski noted. The top five were within three tenths of a second, so it's looking really close up at the front.
"I'm feeling really comfortable in the car, I'm really happy, we've got a great car set-up and I'm feeling as confident as I ever have in the car. I'm still learning, still chipping away and gaining confidence each time I'm out in the car. But I'm feeling positive heading into tomorrow, but I am still very much new to single-seaters and I'm up against some drivers who have quite a bit more experience in these cars, so my main objective is just to learn.
"Obviously I want to be up there fighting for a win and for podiums, but as long as I'm learning, that's the main thing.
"Qualifying in a single-seater is something I've not experienced before but I'll just get my head down like we've done today and throughout pre-season testing, treat it almost like another practice session and drive as quickly as we can. Hopefully we will up in that front pack, which is especially crucial around Oulton Park!"
GB4 Championship, partnered by the BRDC, Oulton Park, Friday session two results:
1. Alisha Palmowski, Elite Motorsport, 1m36.729s
2. Harry Burgoyne, KMR Sport, +0.057s
3. Brandon McCaughan, KMR Sport, +0.136s
4. Linus Granfors, Fortec Motorsports, +0.189s
5. Callum Baxter, Graham Brunton Racing, +0.285s
6. Finn Harrison, Elite Motorsport, +0.846s
7. Jack Taylor, Fortec Motorsports, +1.268s
8. Leon Wilson, Arden Motorsport, +1.421s
9. Chloe Grant, KMR Sport, +1.512s
10. Branden Templeton, Fox Motorsport, +1.559s
11. Dan Hickey, Fortec Motorsports, + 1.968s
12. Megan Bruce, Fox Motorsport, +2.578s
13. Marcus Luzio, Luzio.com, +2.813s
14. Mayer Deonarine, Graham Brunton Racing, +3.024s
15. Aleksander Mizera, Idola Motorsport, +5.993s*
GB4 Championship, partnered by the BRDC, Oulton Park, Friday combined times:
1. Alisha Palmowski, Elite Motorsport, 1m36.261s (session one)
2. Harry Burgoyne, KMR Sport, +0.425s (session two)
3. Brandon McCaughhan, KMR Sport, +0.504s (session two)
4. Linus Granfors, Fortec Motorsports, +0.557s (session two)
5. Callum Baxter, Graham Brunton Racing, +0.653s (session two)
6. Finn Harrison, Elite Motorsport, +0.863s (session one)
7. Leon Wilson, Arden Motorsport, +1.187s (session one)
8. Jack Taylor, Fortec Motorsports, +1.531s (session one)
9. Branden Templeton, Fox Motorsports, +1.646s (session one)
10. Dan Hickey, Fortec Motorsports, +1.858s (session one)
11. Chloe Grant, KMR Sport, +1.880s (session two)
12. Megan Bruce, Fox Motorsport, +2.946s (session two)
13. Mayer Deonarine, Graham Brunton Racing, +3.044s (session one)
14. Marcus Luzio, Luzio.com, +3.181s (session two)
15. Aleksander Mizera, Idola Motorsport, +5.789s (session one)*
*Testing, not racing this weekend