Elite Motorsport’s Alisha Palmowski backed up last week’s Oulton Park form by topping the times again on the first day of the official media day test at Donington Park.
On the day it was announced that the leading female contender in this season’s championship will receive a €30,000 prize contribution towards an F1 Academy drive, Palmowski demonstrated that she means business with a lap of 1m28.852s in the final session of the day, having also led the way in the second and third tests of the day.
That put her over two tenths of a second clear of KMR Sport’s Harry Burgoyne, who had set the fastest time in the opening test of the day this morning, and recorded his best lap in session three.
Every other driver also recorded their best times in session three, with Fortec’s Jack Taylor third overall and less than a tenth further back from Burgoyne.
Branden Templeton was the lead Fox Motorsport runner in fourth, less than half a second away from the outright pace as he gears up for a maiden racing campaign, with Arden’s Leon Wilson, another total racing newcomer, completing the top-five, and 0.6s away from Palmowski’s outright pace.
Templeton’s Fox Motorsport teammate Megan Bruce completed the day’s top-six, ahead of Fortec’s Dan Hickey, while aspiring GB4 contender Flame Airikkala, the granddaughter of rally legend Pentti, improved her lap times by 10 seconds across the day to complete the top-eight for Preptech UK.
Testing at Donington Park resumes tomorrow, with four more sessions at the East Midlands circuit.
GB4 Championship, partnered by the BRDC, Donington Park testing day one combined result:
1. Alisha Palmowski, Elite Motorsport, 1m28.852s
2. Harry Burgoyne, KMR Sport, +0.228s
3. Jack Taylor, Fortec Motorsport, +0.315s
4. Branden Templeton, Fox Motorsport, +0.469s
5. Leon Wilson, Arden Motorsport, +0.637s
6. Megan Bruce, Fox Motorsport, +1.493s
7. Dan Hickey, Fortec Motorsport, +1.636s
8. Flame Airikkala, Preptech UK, +3.344s
