Thursday, September 19, 2019

Celebrating Podiums and Season Finales for Infinity Drivers

With the season finales on the horizon, last weekend saw some impressive performances for our talented bunch of young drivers. From Knockhill to Donington, join us as we recap on a successful weekend for the squad…

British F4
Knockhill - Sebastian Alvarez

With forward momentum in his championship challenge, Sebastian was in fine form once again as he climbed into his Double R Racing machine at Knockhill. Having boosted his title hopes at Snetterton with two clean sweeps of race wins, pole position and fastest lap, he looked to continue his run of appearing on the podium at every event.

Starting from 5th on the grid for Race 1, Seb had a job ahead of him to maximise his points haul against title rival Maloney who was starting from pole. As always, the Mexican driver ran strong, but the appearance of the safety car halted his progress. With a one-lap shootout between the front runners, it was a nail-biting finish which saw Sebastian score third place at the line.

Resetting for Race 2, crowds were dealt a thriller of a race. Starting strong, running P2 on the road, Sebastian came under pressure from Maloney behind, but managed to defend well to begin to pull a gap on the pack. Battling hard throughout, duelling wheel to wheel, putting pressure on the leader, he crossed the line a mere 0.6 seconds off taking the top spot.

Sebastian looked to capitalise on his strong starting position once again in the final run of the weekend. Storming off the line, the fight was immediately on as he engaged with Foster for the lead, but keeping his cool and with one eye on the title race, he reserved to not make any ill-judged moves. But that didn’t stop him from putting in a great performance to finish in 2nd place once again. With just 15 points adrift in the title race, we’re sure Seb will continue his strong form, when British F4 reaches the penultimate round at Silverstone in two weeks time.

Speaking about Sebastian’s weekend, Gary Catt, Director of Infinity Sports Management said:

“Seb had a good weekend in Scotland. During the week’s tests, he lacked a bit of speed so to come away from Knockhill closer to the leader in the championship was a great boost for him. With only 2 race weekends to go and the gap as close as it is, it’s now all to play for!”

British F3
Silverstone - Neil Verhagen and Pavan Ravishankar

Heading across to Donington, the stage was set for the season finalé of the 2019 British F3 season. Teaming up with Double R Racing, the squad were ready for one last furoré.

Following a tight qualifying session, Neil advanced from 9th on the grid to finish 6th in the opening race on Saturday morning. But with eyes on moving forward in the reverse grid race, we were treated to a masterclass from the American as he surged through the field. Capitalising on his rivals mistakes, Neil put in a series of commendable overtakes to claim another podium for his championship haul. Having tasted champagne once he was spurred to give it his all in the final race of 2019

Meanwhile battling through a tough weekend, Pavan continued to make progress, learning more with each race, he’s pushed to claim some great results in only his first season in F3 machinery.

Starting in 6th on the grid for Race 3, there were some tasty battles ahead for Neil, but he certainly got his elbows out, expertly running wheel-to-wheel to climb through the field. Making good on a tricky qualifying position, Neil ended his season in style by taking his second podium of the weekend, crossing the line in third.

Recapping on his season, Neil was happy with his progress:

"It's not an easy sport, there's a ton of really good drivers out there and it isn't easy to overtake, you've got to really give it everything. The entire season has been great, battles throughout the entire season. I'd say I've had the better half of most of those. I'm happy with that and what I've learned this year."

Gary Catt adds:

“Neil and Pavan have had a season with mixed results in the British Formula 3 series with plenty of ups and downs. Neil secured 2 podiums at Silverstone to end the season in a good way”

British GT
Donington - Jordan Collard

Donington also played host to the title decider of the British GT Championship, where having made the step up in 2019, Jordan Collard has more than impressed his team and rivals alike, with a sensational rookie season in the GT4 Class.

Heading into the weekend with the overall GT4 title chance in their grasp, Jordan and his team-mate Lewis Proctor were ready to give it their all. Despite a tricky race which saw the pair finish in 10th place, it didn’t put a damper on their season as a whole.

Harnessing the pace of the McLaren 570S GT4 machine, McLaren Development Driver Jordan managed to seal some career defining results, with 3 podium scoring weekends, of which the first victory for the team at Snetterton being a true highlight. Ending the season in 4th place out of a field of 25 driver pairings, Jordan certainly sealed his future in GT racing.

Harry Soden, spoke of Jordan’s season:

“Jordan has had an impressive season, considering it’s his first year in GT, he’s been in the title fight till the final race. Making the most of the guidance and training he’s received from the McLaren Driver Development Programme, he’s gelled really well with the team and his results have been rapid and consistent. We’re looking forward to seeing him progress further next season and really challenge for titles”