Wednesday, May 22, 2019

A shining weekend for Infinity Drivers

From the thrills of Thruxton and spills of Snetterton, to the pouring rain in Pau, it was a challenging weekend for Infinity drivers, but that didn’t stop them collecting a healthy haul of pole positions and silverware. Join us as we look back on an exciting weekend’s racing…

British F4
Thruxton (Round 3) - Sebastian Alvarez

Taking to the track in Thruxton, Sebastian was keen to continue his consistent and strong momentum in the championship. Following a difficult qualifying session, which saw him only able to put in a lap at the very end of the session, Sebastian found himself in 9th on the grid for the opening race on Saturday. Battling wheel-to-wheel in the frantic midfield, confident he had the skills and machinery, Sebastian held his own to climb to 5th place by the flag, earning reverse pole position for his efforts.

Starting from pole in Race 2, unfortunately Sebastian struggled for traction and found himself unable to hold off the charge from Horsten and Maloney in the opening lap. But never one to be deterred, he kept his foot in the action and chased down the pair. Pushing to the limit, he made his move into the Club chicane, taking 2nd place on the penultimate lap. Claiming a trophy and an important haul of points. His momentum continued on Sunday afternoon, as he charged through the field, to add a further podium to his tally in the final race.

Recapping on a strong fight for the Mexican driver, Gary Catt comments:

“It was another good weekend for Seb, securing two podiums over the weekend and 6 podiums in the first 9 races of the season, he has proved he can be a challenger for the title. We are delighted with how Seb has been developing over the last few months and his results are showing how much improvement he is continuing to make.”


British F3
Snetterton (Round 3) - Neil Verhagen and Pavan Ravishankar

Trackside at Snetterton, we joined Neil and Pavan in the British F3 paddock, ready for some exciting on-track action. Both the guys battled hard, suffering some mishaps, but earning Top 10 finishes and a podium to boot.

After a tricky opening race, which saw Neil claim a healthy points finish in P6, he lined up 11th on the reverse grid for Race Two with it all to play for. Relishing the opportunity to fight his way back through the pack, the American driver stormed off the line, treating crowds with a series of sensational moves to gain eight places on his starting position. His rocket-powered charge to third place at the line, ensured his place on the podium. Unfortunately his weekend was dampened, when whilst putting the pressure on his rival Hoggard in Race 3, the pair made contact and Neil was forced onto the grass and found himself a passenger to a collision, which curtailed his efforts.

Speaking of Neil’s promising weekend, Harry Soden:

“Neil was at the sharp end all weekend with the highlight being his storming drive from the back of the grid to P3 in Race Two. Unfortunately, he was taken out of contention for the victory in Race 3 by another driver, through no fault of his own. Again, this weekend should give him a lot of confidence heading to Silverstone… a track he knows well from his Renault days”

With some promise throughout his weekend, Pavan continued to develop his racecraft, holding his own in wheel-to-wheel combat, to take a Top 10 finish in Race Two.


Euroformula Open
Pau GP (Round 2) - Nicolai Kjaergaard and Linus Lundqvist

Notoriously tricky but rewarding, the Euroformula Open grid took on the twisty streets of Pau for the latest round. Under a raincloud for much of the weekend, street circuit served up an almighty challenge, which culminated in the 78° Grand Prix de Pau on Sunday afternoon. In their debut on a street track, Nicolai and Linus qualified in the midfield ahead of the opening race, starting 6th and 8th respectively ready to mount their attack. Battling for grip and getting to grips with the narrow walls, Nicolai unfortunately collided with the barrier at the halfway stage and brought his race to an end. Meanwhile, Linus capitalised on his position and crossed the line in a strong 5th place, earning a rookie podium on his way.

Back on track qualifying for the Pau Grand Prix on Sunday, we were treated to a session full of drama and changing weather conditions. After clipping the barrier on his fast lap run, Linus found his way back to the pits and the Double R guys worked their magic to get the car ready for a second run, but the appearance of rain halted any progress, sealing his P9 starting position. Whilst Nicolai found himself with a mountain to climb from the back row.

Delayed by a deluge of rain. when racing finally got underway, we were in for a thriller. Choosing to peel into the pits for wet tyres early on in the race, the gamble soon paid off as Nicolai found himself with an advantage when rain returned. Whilst an unfortunate incident for Linus, saw him collide with 2 other cars and cut his race short. Driving through the tricky conditions, judging his lines perfectly, Nicolai and Monger were in prime position when the leading pair collided ahead of them. Elevating to a podium, he built upon all he’d learned to claim 2nd place at his first ever visit to a street circuit.

Director of Infinity Sports Management, Harry Soden praised Nicolai’s achievement:

“After a difficult Saturday, Nicolai bounced back with a podium in race two with a stunning drive in very tricky conditions. It was a great performance, not only for his first time at Pau, but his first on any kind of street track. This will give him real confidence going into the next round at Hockenheim.”


British GT
GT4 Snetterton - Jordan Collard

Back behind the wheel of his Tolman Motorsport GT4 entry, together with teammate Lewis Proctor, Jordan Collard had a shining weekend out at Snetterton.

With changing weather conditions, Jordan and the team put in some good strategic runs in Free Practice, ahead of qualifying on Saturday. Their efforts earning them a second row starting position for Race 2, all attention was on pushing for the lead when racing got underway. Lining up 7th on the grid on Sunday morning, we joined Jordan trackside ahead of what was to be an exciting day of track action. Getting into the driving seat for his stint, Jordan had his sights set on claiming as many positions as possible, his opportunity arose when the Team Parker car was handed a stop/go penalty. Grabbing it with both hands, he pushed through the traffic and hunted down the final podium position. Right on their tail, he claimed the position as his own and earned the team a double podium with a 3rd place finish.

Boosted by their success and impressing the team and crowds alike, the young McLaren Development Driver took the start for Race 2. Coming off a tricky opening lap, Jordan put the pedal down and kept them firmly in the fight, holding off rivals and pulling the car through to hand over to his teammate. In a thrilling race, the pair fought their way through in the closing stages, putting them in podium contention. Then when the leader suffered a tyre failure in the penultimate lap, their moment came to take the lead. Celebrating as the #5 McLaren crossed the line, Jordan and Lewis took their place on top of the rostrum, to take Tolman Motorsport’s first victory of 2019.

Harry Soden spoke of Jordan’s impressive weekend:

“What a weekend for Jordan! Fastest in the team in qualifying, taking a podium in race one and a stunning drive by him in Race 2 secured not only the team’s first victory of the season, but Jordan’s first as a McLaren DDP driver.”


With a thrilling weekend for our roster of talented drivers, we look forward to celebrating more successes as the season continues...