Xcel Motorsport’s Patrick Heuzenroeder was on course to trim Alex Ninovic’s championship lead during the final Brands Hatch race back in August, only for disaster to strike late on.
The Australian had fought his way up to seventh having started ninth, only to be nudged out of contention at Stirling’s with just a few laps to go. With Ninovic only running 14th at the time, Heuzenroeder was on the verge of leaving Brands Hatch with a 60-point gap to Ninovic, but instead now finds himself 71 points in arrears and in need of a big series of results at Donington Park this weekend.
“The DNF due to another driver’s mistake in race three was not the ideal way to end the weekend, and costly in terms of points lost” the Zandvoort race winner summarises. “However I had raced well up to that point, so that gives me confidence and motivation to score solid points at Donington, and capitalise if anyone else has the same misfortune I experienced at Brands.”
Heuzenroeder’s title chances are potentially on the line this weekend; Ninovic could claim the title on Sunday should he outscore Heuzenroeder by 33 points at the end of the event. But Heuzenroder holds a crucial advantage, with six GB3 races already under his belt on the Grand Prix circuit.
“I’m excited to get back at Donington GP, we had good pace there in the pre-season testing so it is definitely a circuit I enjoy.
“Having raced there last year I learnt a few tips and tricks, but we’ve all now been in these cars for long enough and done enough laps everyone has their heads around how to go about things.”
Heuzenroeder admits a strong start to the weekend will be key as he looks to claw back ground in the battle.
“I think in these junior formulae when things are so close, it is really important to set your weekend up well from the beginning. That means having strong practice sessions, tweaking my driving and the car as needed, then finishing Friday feeling confident I can put it up the front on Saturday morning.”
In the thick of an all-Australian title battle, with third place Gianmarco Pradel in the mix too, Heuzenroeder is not expecting Antipodean relations to come into any sort of consideration as the championship fight nears its conclusion.
“I really don’t think it will change the dynamic at all, Alex and I respect each other and get along, but once the helmet goes on it’s just another racing driver who you’re going up against and trying to beat. It’ll be good fun!”
While it’s Heuzenroeder’s second full year in GB3, it’s his Xcel team’s first, but the results, with three additional podiums to his Netherlands win, have established the combination as Ninovic’s biggest threat in the title chase.
“I have really enjoyed being part of Xcel in their first year of GB3. Developing and figuring this new car out has been very enjoyable, and despite some challenges I think we can all be proud of the effort and it is a skill I will be able to take into the rest of my career.
“Of course, you never stop developing a car so hopefully we can keep finding time to challenge Rodin in the remaining two rounds.”