Rodin Motorsport’s Abbi Pulling heads to Brands Hatch full of confidence, after setting the fastest ever GB3 lap on the Grand Prix circuit in testing a couple of weeks ago.
In the final session of the day, the double Donington Park podium finisher set a 1m16.593s, over a second quicker than last year’s pole time.
“It was really cool to get that” she commented. “There's some tough competition in this championship and on that lap, I left it a bit late. We were quick at the start of the new tyre run, but towards the end I thought the tyres were done and I was about to box.
“Then I heard on the radio that Martin [Molnar] pipped me, so I was like, I'll go again then! It was good preparation, obviously, for the weekend and also good to break a record.”
Pulling’s record-breaking lap continued her run of form at the Kent circuit. She was a race winner at the venue in British F4, and claimed her first GB3 podium there last year.
“If you mention Brands Hatch to any driver they’ll say it’s a drivers’ circuit as you have to be really confident and be on the edge of a crash at basically every corner.
“That was what my lap was like, so it was a really cool moment in my career to accomplish that around one of my favourite circuits.
“It may only be testing, but it’s a massive confidence boost ahead of the actual race weekend.”
Her record-breaker at Brands Hatch comes off the back of her second and third visits to the podium last time out at Donington Park, and she’s keen to continue that form across the concluding two events of the year.
“There’s a couple of rounds to go, six more races, and I will keep pushing to end the season on a high. It’s not how you start, it’s how you finish!”