Deagen Fairclough heads to Barcelona for this weekend’s GB3 season finale as the man to beat in terms of current form, with the Briton claiming all six main-race victories of the previous three rounds.
The Hitech driver is in determined mood ahead of the weekend, saying he and his team “haven’t given up” in the fight for both drivers’ and teams’ titles.
“We’ve tried our best,” said Fairclough. “Mathematically, we can still win, but I’ll need a miracle for that to happen.”
Six non-finishes in the first four rounds of the season left the 20-year-old 217 points behind champion-elect Nikita Bedrin. However, Fairclough has turned his season around in second half of the year, outscoring Bedrin by 128 points.
Now, the Briton is focused on enjoying the season finale and the potential for further battles with Bedrin, after the pair duelled for the win at Donington Park in September.
“I like racing and getting the job done on track to win it outright,” he said. “I don’t wish Nikita any bad luck as I’m here to have a good battle with him and end the season on a high.
“It’s a shame we didn’t get to have that title fight all season, but we’ve tried our best. We’ve been able to have some good battles with Nikita recently.”
Fairclough recalled the title protagonists’ fight for the race one win at Donington, in which the Briton beat his rival by 0.317 seconds to claim a third successive main-race victory.
“I didn’t really have much to lose,” he said. “He was leading the championship so might have been a bit more reserved, but he still gave it a good go, and it was a very good battle. I really enjoyed that race and I just wish there had been more of that this year.”
The previous race weekend at Brands Hatch was another highlight for Fairclough, as the Crawley-born driver secured his joint-highest points haul of the season with two victories and fifth in the reversed-grid contest.
“The Brands Hatch weekend as a whole [was a highlight],” he said. “I just love that circuit and the results spoke volumes.”
While his chances in the drivers’ championship are slim, Fairclough has a big opportunity to secure the Jack Cavill Pole Position Cup this weekend, entering the final round with five poles, one fewer than Bedrin. Fairclough has taken five of a possible six poles in the previous three rounds, with one in particular standing out.
“I was very happy with the pole position at Silverstone in Q2,” he said. “I was nowhere but, all of a sudden, was able to get triple-purple and put it on pole. That feeling crossing the line and hearing the boys on the radio screaming was a highlight.”
Similarly to Fairclough, his Hitech team has likewise turned its fortunes around in the second half of the season, entering the finale third in the teams’ standings and 67 points behind leaders Rodin Motorsport.
The team’s nine victories – seven for Fairclough and one each for Jin Nakamura and Jacob Micallef – are more than any other team on the grid. Fairclough is grateful for the efforts of the Hitech crew.
“They’ve not stopped working,” he said. “We haven’t given up and kept pushing to try and get more out of the car. It would be very special if we can win [the teams’ title], but we just need to keep our heads down and work together.”
Fairclough is confident that the team can fight at the front once again this weekend, after being pleased with their performance in 2025 post-season testing at the venue.
“We were very strong at Barcelona in the test at the end of last year,” he said. “We’re carrying some very good momentum so hopefully this circuit is one that suits our car. You need to get every single corner nailed in qualifying to be at the front, as one mistake can be quite costly.”