Elite Motorsport’s Isaac Phelps claimed two pole positions in a scintillating opening GB4 Championship qualifying session of the season at Donington Park.
Multiple drivers took turns at the top of the pile as times tumbled, but it was Phelps’ effort of 1m27.724s set just as the flag dropped, which proved good enough for race one pole.
He finished up 0.122s clear of Fortec's Jack Taylor, with the second Elite car of Ary Bansal third, and only 0.056s further back.
Just 0.339s covered the top-10, and 1.065s covered the lead 20 drivers, further demonstrating the fierce competition in GB4 this season.
With the race two grid formed by each driver's second fastest time, Phelps topped this chart too with his next best time being just half a tenth slower.
In keeping with pre-event testing, which featured five different drivers at the top of the times, the 15-minute qualifying was a thriller, as the record 25 car grid entered serious competition for the first time this year. Luke Hilton, Alex Kattoulas, Taylor, Stefan Bostandjiev and Dan Guinchard all took turns to lead the session, until Phelps' late effort proved unbeatable.
With mere fractions separating the lead runners for much of the session, Phelps' eventual pole margin of a tenth of a second was comparatively large, with Taylor in second celebrating his best GB4 qualifying performance as he starts his second campaign in the series.
Bansal, who topped two test sessions in the build-up took third, 0.056s further back from Taylor and seven thousandths ahead of Hillspeed's Guinchard.
His teammate Leandro Juncos took fifth place, only two thousandths in arrears, and half a tenth ahead of the lead KMR Sport contender Alex O'Grady, who was later disqualified from the results after his car failed post-session scrutineering.
The Irishman was 0.014s ahead of Stefan Bostandjiev, who was seventh in Pace Performance's first ever single-seater qualifying session, and 0.012s ahead of Elite's Alex Kattoulas, who had topped testing on Thursday, and was only a quarter of a second away from pole position!
Having topped the times early on, Douglas Motorsport's Hilton had to settle for ninth place, with teammate Enzo Hallman completing the top-10.
As for the race two grid, Phelps is set to line up at the head of the field again, this time 0.093s ahead of Taylor, with O'Grady rising to third before his penalty was later applied.
Bansal and Kattoulas complete the race two grid top-five, ahead of Guinchard, Juncos, Hilton, Bostandjiev and Arden's Leon Wilson. The race two grid is tight too, with 0.437s covering the top-10.
GB4 Championship, partnered by the BRDC, Donington Park final qualifying result (race one grid):
1. Isaac Phelps, Elite Motorsport, 1m27.724s
2. Jack Taylor, Fortec Motorsport, +0.122s
3. Ary Bansal, Elite Motorsport, +0.178s
4. Dan Guinchard, Hillspeed, +0.185s
5. Leandro Juncos, Hillspeed, +0.187s
6. Stefan Bostandjiev, Pace Performance, +0.255s
7. Alex Kattoulas, Elite Motorsport, +0.267s
8. Luke Hilton, Douglas Motorsport, +0.321s
9. Enzo Hallman, Douglas Motorsport, +0.339s
10. Leon Wilson, Arden Motorsport, +0.443s
11. Thomas Ingram Hill, Fortec Motorsport, +0.557s
12. Alex Berg, Graham Brunton Racing, +0.594s
13. Ava Dobson, Arden Motorsport, +0.827s
14. Callum Baxter, Graham Brunton Racing, +0.839s
15. Dayton Coulthard, Douglas Motorsport, +0.886s
16. Mayer Deonarine, Graham Brunton Racing, +1.012s
17. Megan Bruce, KMR Sport, +1.018s
18. Jason Pribyl, ADM, +1.041s
19. Luca Magnussen, Fortec Motorsport, +1.065s
20. Josh McLean, Pace Performance, +1.449s
21. Holly Miall, Fox Motorsport, +1.914s
22. Neirin Evans, Rossoverde Scorpio Racing, +2.152s
23. Lily-May Watkins, KMR Sport, +2.439s
24. Caitlyn McDaniel, Fox Motorsport, +4.408s
DQ. Alex O'Grady, KMR Sport
GB4 Championship, partnered by the BRDC, Donington Park final qualifying second fastest times (race two grid):
1. Isaac Phelps, Elite Motorsport, 1m27.785s
2. Jack Taylor, Fortec Motorsports, +0.093s
3. Ary Bansal, Elite Motorsport, +0.185s
4. Alex Kattoulas, Elite Motorsport, +0.219s
5. Dan Guinchard, Hillspeed, +0.225s
6. Leandro Juncos, Hillspeed, +0.294s
7. Luke Hilton, Douglas Motorsport, +0.300s
8. Stefan Bostandjiev, Pace Performance, +0.369s
9. Leon Wilson, Arden Motorsport, +0.437s
10. Enzo Hallman, Douglas Motorsport, +0.466s
11. Alex Berg, Graham Brunton Racing, +0.674s
12. Thomas Ingram Hill, Fortec Motorsport, +0.743s
13. Ava Dobson, Arden Motorsport, +0.801s
14. Dayton Coulthard, Douglas Motorsport, +0.845s
15. Megan Bruce, KMR Sport, +1.004s
16. Mayer Deonarine, Graham Brunton Racing, +1.006s
17. Callum Baxter, Graham Brunton Racing, +1.006s
18. Luca Magnussen, Fortec Motorsport, +1.128s
19. Jason Pribyl, ADM, +1.222s
20. Josh McLean, Pace Performance, +1.679s
21. Holly Miall, Fox Motorsport, +2.186s
22. Neirin Evans, Rossoverde Scorpio Racing, +2.233s
23. Lily May Watkins, KMR Sport, +2.513s
24. Caitlyn McDaniel, Fox Motorsport, +4.354s
DQ. Alex O'Grady, KMR Sport
