“We have taken a massive step forward again this weekend in terms of pace and confidence in the car" - Chloe Grant showed impressive speed in the second round of the GB4 Championship at Silverstone, where her pace was extremely competitive in both wet and dry conditions and ran among the podium contenders in race 2.
Chloe Grant showed impressive speed in the second round of the GB4 Championship at Silverstone. Competing for KMR Sport, Grant’s pace was extremely competitive in both wet and dry conditions on the challenging Grand Prix layout. After qualifying seventh in wet conditions, Chloe finished a dry race one in seventh while narrowly missing out on a top-5 result. Grant ran among the podium contenders in race two, before late-race contact resulted in a retirement.
Chloe’s return to the GB4 Championship got off to an excellent start at Oulton Park. The KMR Sport driver led multiple laps during race three of the weekend and was unfortunate to miss out on the race victory, finishing just a second behind eventual winner Linus Granfors. After experiencing the iconic Silverstone Grand Prix circuit back in 2022, Grant was aiming to use her prior knowledge to challenge for top positions.
Preparations for the competitive action began positively on Thursday, with Grant setting the seventh fastest time in the first day of the pre-event test, just half a second away from third position. Further encouragement was provided in two further short sessions on Friday, with Chloe setting the sixth fastest time.
Saturday morning’s qualifying session brought contrasting conditions with a wet track and therefore wet tyres were used by the the GB4 Championship drivers. Grant’s speed in challenging conditions was strong at Oulton Park and she was looking to combine this with her impressive initial pace at Silverstone to achieve a good starting spot for race one. Chloe spent the majority of the session within the top half of the standings and this resulted in her setting the seventh fastest time overall.
Starting race one of the weekend from eighth, Grant did well to negotiate the stalled car of Brandon McCaughan on the initial launch. Ending the opening lap in seventh, Chloe had her eyes firmly set on moving further forward. A brilliant battle then ensued with the Arden Motorsport car of Leon Wilson, with Grant making an excellent move into Stowe corner to claim sixth position.
Now in some clean air, Grant was maximising her lap time without the aid of the all-important slipstream. As the drivers ahead battled in the second half of the race, the KMR Sport driver began closing in and set her sights on a top-5 result. Having bridged a significant gap, Chloe was in position to make a move on the final lap and was applying pressure to teammate Harry Burgoyne.
This battle turned into a three-way fight as a recovering McCaughan had caught the pair, with the third KMR Sport driver moving ahead of Chloe at the final turn to complete an excellent comeback. Taking the checkered flag in seventh, it was more vital points banked for Grant who maintained her positive start to the season.
The second race of the weekend was set for Saturday morning, however due to heavy rain it was postponed with the drivers lining up for a single race on Sunday. This took place late in the afternoon and therefore the track had dried sufficiently for slick tyres to be fitted on all cars. Lining up seventh on the grid, Chloe made an excellent start and gained one position with two drivers ahead receiving penalties for a false start.
Grant set the fastest final sector of any driver to close out the opening lap and this ensured she held in close contact with the top-5 drivers. The slipstream effect was proving significant on the Silverstone Grand Prix circuit and although the KMR Sport driver briefly dropped back by the end of lap three, she was able to regain touch by lap five. This enabled her to fight for a podium position, with Grant moving inside the top-5 on lap six following a spin for McCaughan.
Chloe’s pace continued to be strong as she set her sights on the fast group of drivers ahead, with Alisha Palmowski now joining the battle for the podium. On lap eight, Palmowski made contact with Grant on the entry into Maggots and this sent the KMR Sport driver into the gravel which forced her to retire from the race.
Although not achieving the results which her pace reflected at Silverstone, Grant consistently displayed speed which put her in contention with the leading runners. Her race two speed was particularly impressive as she was set for a top-5 result in race two prior to the contact which led to the retirement.
“We have taken a massive step forward again this weekend in terms of pace and confidence in the car", Grant commented. "It was unfortunate we didn’t get the result we wanted, but the pace is even better now and we know what we are capable of for Donington.”
Chloe now sits ninth in the championship standings and will be aiming to improve on this position as the GB4 Championship moves to Donington Park for the next round of the championship on the final weekend in May.