Ava Dobson scores top-10 on GB4 debut
- RACERS
- Jul 30, 2024
- 5 min read
Ava Dobson made a very positive GB4 Championship debut at Silverstone, showing strong pace and progress, culminating in a top-ten finish in race 2 in her first racing weekend in Europe and on her return behind the wheel after the accident that halted her USF Juniors campaign.
Ava Dobson made a very positive debut in the GB4 Championship at Silverstone, showing good pace and progress throughout the weekend in a new car on an unfamiliar circuit, culminating in a top ten finish in race 2 as the highlight of her weekend.
Dobson made her racing return after the terrifying accident that halted her USF Junior and contested her first ever European racing event by joining the GB4 grid in a Velocity Racing Development entry.
The American made her racing debut last year as soon as she turned 15 and joined the F4 US grid stepping up from karting, following a testing program with Jay Howard Driver Development. Over the 2023 season, she made significant progress and claimed a stand-out 14th place finish and another top 20 in her second race weekend. By the end of the year, she collected experience also in USF Juniors and USF 2000 - and announced her 2024 program with a full season entry in USF Juniors.
While she scored a top-15 at the NOLA season opener, Dobson was then involved in a brutal accident at Barber Motorsports Park when she had no time to react to a stationary car after a blind corner. The crash halted her campaign and she would make her return behind the wheel three months later at Silverstone, as she made the trip to the home of British motorsport having joined the ranks of American squad VRD Racing.
“I’m really looking forward to racing at Silverstone this weekend in the GB4 Championship, it’s an amazing circuit and a real honour to be racing at an F1 venue", Ava commented before the event. "It’s a new challenge for me, especially after a few weeks out of the cockpit, but I’ve gained speed in testing this week and I look forward to making more progress across the event.”
Her first experience of the GB4 car - the Tatuus first-gen F4 machine - came in the pre-event test, where she built up speed and confidence, running on encouraging lap times on a new racetrack. She completed Thursday 14th fastest, barely over two seconds adrift of the pace-setters. On Friday practice, Dobson's progression steadily continued, finishing 11th fastest in the first session and ending the day in P13.
In qualifying, Ava started strong, securing P11 initially after her first timed run. Her final push lap would have placed again just outside the top ten, but her best three lap times ended up disallowed for track limits, resulting in a start from P13 in both race 1 and 2. Linus Granfors took pole position as the only driver under the 2m01.
The weekend featured a dry, sunny track throughout the races. Granfors launched well from pole, while Callum Baxter and Lucas Blakely battled for second, and Alisha Palmowski joined the fray, moving up to P3 by passing Baxter.
Unfortunately, drama struck Ava Dobson even before lights went out, as an issue before the formation lap meant her #2 car had to be pushed back into the pits and she was forced to start from the pit lane. This cost her around 28 seconds, but she pushed hard to catch back up.
Dobson in fact ran well, matching the pace of the drivers ahead and posting personal bests at each lap, but the 30-second gap was challenging to close without the intervention of a safety car.
Linus Granfors took a lights-to-flag victory, half a second clear of Blakely, with Alisha Palmowski in third. Dobson finished P13, completing her first race in the series with solid pace despite the unlucky start.
Starting again from P13, Ava faced more bad luck with a stall on the grid of race 2. Lucas Blakely took an early lead from Granfors at Copse, while Chloe Grant encountered issues and pitted at the end of lap 1.
Amidst close battles in the midfield, Wilson picked up damage and retired. Ava Dobson made up ground, advancing to P9 as Baxter also hit trouble and pitted.
Dobson closed in on Megan Bruce, showing impressive pace and setting personal bests almost half a second faster per lap than her competitor ahead. Again with no safety car to make up for it, Dobson almost closed a 10 second margin.
Although Bruce ultimately managed to keep her at bay, Ava’s persistence resulted in a strong finish, as she crossed the finish line in P9, marking her first top ten in GB4 with a commendable recovery drive.
The reverse grid race on Sunday afternoon presented Ava Dobson with a significant opportunity: she was set to start from pole position for the first time in her single-seater career and in her first weekend in the series, having set a time well within the 103% of the fastest qualifying time. She lined up alongside Megan Bruce on an all-female front row.
The race, however, began with a chaotic situation: a delayed start led to an extra formation lap, but during the additional lap, Finn Harrison started to push as if the race were under green conditions, leading to further confusion and necessitating a red flag.
After a new starting procedure, Ava's car unfortunately stalled from pole, allowing Megan Bruce to take the lead, followed closely by Finn Harrison and Jack Taylor.
Leon Wilson and Callum Baxter were involved in a crash at the end of the first lap, prompting the deployment of the safety car. This incident played out in Ava's favor, as it allowed her to recover and rejoin the pack in P11.
With less than five minutes left on the clock when the green flag waved again, intense battles ensued throughout the field: Dobson was right in the mix, as she attacked Hickey.
Despite her best efforts and consistently applying pressure, she had to back out of the move, unable to find a gap to make the pass stick.
Meanwhile, Finn Harrison capitalized on the clear track ahead and built a three-second lead, taking a commanding victory. Behind him, a thrilling three-car battle for the podium as Jack Taylor held onto second place, while Branden Templeton secured third.
Ava Dobson crossed the finish line in 11th place. Although she couldn't capitalize on her starting position, her performance throughout the race showed once again good speed and racecraft. She kept up the pace with the more experienced competitors and showed determination in the battles.
While Dobson found herself needing to catch up in all three races after very unlucky starts, her pace was remarkable for a driver in her first racing weekend in a new car and on a new track, which her competitors had already visited in the second round earlier this year.
The weekend's results gained her 25 championship points and, importantly, marked a positive return to competitions after her accident.