It was a weekend full of podiums for Rodin Motorsport as the opening round of the GB3 Championship got underway at Oulton Park. Reigning British F4 Champion Louis Sharp took to the new championship with ease blasting to take double pole position on Saturday before claiming victory later in the day with a further podium following on Monday. Ugo Ugochukwu joined him on the podium twice with two third place finishes. Arthur Rogeon meanwhile claimed strongpoints throughout the weekend and led the vast majority of the final race of the weekend.
The weekend got off to a thrilling start after two days of testing at the Oulton Park circuit, which following a tense qualifying session had Rodin Cars-backed Sharp at the top of the timing sheets confirming his pace and his double pole position. Ugochukwu qualified in an impressive third while French driver Rogeon made sure to place well in the top eight.
Racing later in the day, Sharp was quick off the line to maintain the lead and despite coming under pressure from John Bennett behind, the New Zealand racer took the flag and his first victory in the GB3 Championship. He was joined on the podium by Ugochukwu who joined him in third after a solid race while Rogeon gained a position to take seventh overall.
A break on Easter Sunday meant that racing resumed on Monday with conditions changing and rain falling. The Rodin Motorsport trio took this in their stride despite a safety car start. However it was the second safety car of the race which saw Sharp come under pressure from behind and soon a battle ensued; In the end, Sharp settled for strong points in second with Ugochukwu just missing out on the podium in fourth and Rogeon once again making strides in tenth.
The final race of the weekend, the reverse grid race, saw Rogeon bolt off the line and into the lead from fourth on the grid; pulling an incredible gap throughout which was only cut when a safety car period came to fruition. However there was heartbreak just moments before the end of the race when he slowed on track and dropped out of the lead he had worked hard for with a technical issue placing sixth overall. Ugochukwu moved up a spot and took his second podium of the weekend in third while Sharp continued his brilliant debut to take fifth.
Sharp said of his weekend, "It's a dream start to the championship. After practice I knew our pace was going to be good. To get pole position by three tenths of a second was a bit of a surprise for me actually, and it showed the pace that we did had in the dry.
“Overall it has been a really encouraging weekend and I’ve got to give a big thank you to the Rodin Motorsport team for everything they’ve done in preparation for the season,” acknowledged Sharp. “I can’t really have asked for a better start to my first year in GB3. It was obviously great to score a win in my very first race and it is even better now to be leading the championship.”
The brilliant team showing ensures that Rodin Motorsport lead the team’s championship, with Sharp heading the driver table and Ugochukwu in second.
The next round of the championship takes place at Silverstone at the end of the month.
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