Alex Dunne back where he belongs- On the Top Step!

Ireland’s Alex Dunne scored his maiden wins in the GB3 Championship, plus a record points haul for a single weekend, to breathe new life into the Irishman’s title bid at the world-famous Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps [3-4 June].

The 17-year-old made the trip to the 4.3-mile/7-km venue, nestled in the heart of the Ardennes, keen to convert his consistent, front-running pace in the UK’s premier single-seater series into the results it merits, and close the gap to the championship summit. But for a late red flag stoppage, it could well have been a maiden pole position for Dunne, the Hitech GP racer lighting up the timing screens in the final moments of qualifying before the stoppage, after which the session would not be resumed.

Nevertheless, his previous efforts had been good enough for the front row, in second. The reigning ROKiT British F4 champion battled his way through to the lead in the opening race with a stunning sweep around the outside at Les Combes versus Callum Voisin. From there, Dunne went unchecked en route to victory, taking the chequered flag some 1.1 seconds clear to score his maiden GB3 victory, in only his fourth event in the category.

Starting second once more in race two, Dunne again went on the offensive. After slipping back to third at the start, Dunne twice pulled off his now-trademark move at Les Combes, re-passing a fast-starting McKenzy Cresswell and then besting Voisin once more to make it two in a row by a margin of 1.9 seconds. On both occasions, Dunne also set the fastest racing lap. His pace from the front now well-established, Dunne took full advantage of the opportunity to showcase his overtaking prowess in the reverse grid race, rising up from a lowly P24 to finish a remarkable sixth.

As well as scoring championship points, Dunne’s charge through the order also earned him the maximum 15 available points for places gained.

That all totalled up to 95 points, a new GB3 record for a single weekend, and as a result, Dunne leaves Belgium third in the standings, just 18 points shy of the summit. Snetterton’s 300 circuit hosts the next three rounds of the series on 17-18 June.

Alex Dunne (#22) said:
“I’m very happy with how this weekend has gone. Our pace was super strong right from the start in practice, the team at Hitech GP gave me a fantastic car to drive all weekend, so a huge thanks to them. I’m glad we’ve finally had the opportunity to showcase the pace we have, taking two wins and the fastest lap to go with it each time. I’m feeling very comfortable in GB3 now, and that’s starting to come out in our results. It’s great to catch up a lot of points in the championship, and I’m looking forward to what we can achieve from here, starting at Snetterton next time out.”