Chris Dittmann Racing returned to GB3 Championship action this weekend as the second meeting of the season took place on the Silverstone Grand Prix circuit.

Despite encountering various obstacles, the team demonstrated promising indications of competitive pace and potential, as full-season drivers Seb Murray and Flynn Jackes were joined by FIA Formula 3 Championship race winner Martinius Stenshorne, making his debut in the series.

After two days of testing, the trio headed out on a wet track for qualifying, and with conditions tricky, Seb unfortunately went off into the gravel at Vale, meaning he ended the session 22nd. Martinius, however, managed to secure 14th position, just eight tenths adrift from the top 10, with Flynn closely following in 16th place.

It was a quick start to race one for Seb who gained two spots from the back of the grid, but a difficult opening tour for Flynn as he dropped back, running just ahead of Seb by lap three. The Scottish racer was hot on his teammate’s heels, ultimately passing the Filipino-Australian driver one lap later, but after climbing made his way up to 15th, his good progress was thwarted when a gearbox issue caused him run off-track on the last lap, re-joining the pack to finish the race 19th.

Martinius was making clean progress through the field, having passed three drivers by lap seven. With one last well-timed move, the Norwegian driver crossed the finish line in an impressive ninth, despite it being his debut race on the iconic circuit. Flynn was handed a five second penalty for track limit infringements, finishing the race in 21st.

Sunday brought with it torrential rain, meaning only race two would be run and much later in the afternoon. After finally heading to the grid to race, Seb experienced another gearbox issue and was unable to start, while in 12th, Martinius went wheel-to-wheel with Colin Queen for much of the race before the pair had a coming together at Woodcote as Queen attempted a pass around the outside.

This allowed other drivers to gain advantage, with Martinius eventually taking the flag 14th, while Flynn faced a challenging start and maintained a relatively static race until a last-lap manoeuvre allowed him to secure 19th place.

It was a challenging weekend at Silverstone for the team, but a fantastic learning experience for the drivers who are still new to the series and cars. With five weeks until round three of the GB3 Championship at Spa-Francorchamps scheduled for June 1/2, the team will aim to capitalise on the insights gained and further refine its performance at the home of the Belgian Grand Prix.

Seb Murray #91

G1 – 22, R1 – 19
G2 – 22, R2 – DNF

Championship: 16 (25 points)

“In race one, I was quick at the start, coming right through from the back of the pack to 15th but unfortunately went off on the last lap due to a gearbox issue, losing some of that progress. Sadly, for race two, it was another gearbox issue which meant I couldn’t race. These things happen in motorsport, so I’ll keep my chin up and look ahead to Spa for round three.”

Martinius Stenshorne #34

G1 – 14, R1 – 9
G2 – 12, R2 – 14

Championship: 19 (19 points)

“This weekend was a new track and a new car for me, so it was a lot to learn. I think in the dry, we were really strong which was positive, but qualifying was wet so that was quite difficult. In race one, we didn’t have a very good start, but our pace was strong, I think one of the strongest. Race two was more of a struggle with the conditions, but I learned a lot from it.

“It has been a good weekend for me to come and learn a track like Silverstone, because there are no tracks like it in F3. Everyone at Chris Dittmann Racing has been amazing to work with and I really enjoyed it.”

Flynn Jackes #55

G1 – 16, R1 – 21
G2 – 13, R2 – 19

Championship: 20 (15 points)

“Qualifying wasn’t really up to pace; I made some mistakes on my part, so I was stuck at the back, and in race one, I just pushed a bit too hard on the tyres. In the last race I had some battles but got squeezed out and lost some ground. Once I was out into open air, the pace was good. Overall, I learned some important lessons in tyre management, and race craft, and I got more crucial seat time in the car.”