Heuzenroeder ends rookie GB3 campaign on a high with a sixth-place finish

30th September 2024

Patrick Heuzenroeder concluded the GB3 Championship season with a sixth-place finish, drawing 2024 to a close in style with a result representative of his pace and the progress he has made across his rookie campaign.

The Australian driver was on the front foot from the beginning of the season finale at Brands Hatch. He finished third in the combined classifications from three 40-minute test sessions at the 3.916 km (2.433 miles) Grand Prix circuit on Wednesday, which signalled a continuation of his uptick in performance that was first exhibited in Continental Europe.

A pause in proceedings on Thursday allowed teams to debrief an important day of running before, on Friday,  Heuzenroeder completed 54 laps of the shorter Brands Hatch Indy circuit.

A 20-minute practice session on Saturday morning, which featured difficult damp conditions, then allowed the 20-car GB3 field to find their groove on the Grand Prix layout once more.

Heuzenroeder went on to execute a strong qualifying session later in the day which placed him seventh on the grid for Race 1 and eighth for Race 2. He was a mere 0.3 seconds shy of pole position, putting him in the midst of the top 10 where he had his sights set heading into the weekend.

The extreme camber of the main straight at Brands Hatch made getting off the line quickly a fine art all weekend, but Heuzenroeder got Race 1 underway with a good launch as the sun shone overhead on Saturday afternoon. The 18-year-old went into the challenging Paddock Hill Bend and Druids hairpin side-by-side with another car, however, he ended up off the track on the exit of Graham Hill Bend and tumbled down the order. He was subsequently involved in a collision on lap two, which the stewards deemed to be a racing incident, and dropped to 17th position, where he took the chequered flag.

Heuzenroeder kicked off the action on the final day of the GB3 season with a signature lightning start. Starting from eighth, he challenged for seventh off the line but was boxed in as he swept through turn one, halting any potential progress. He settled down in eighth place through the following corners but ran slightly wide at the punishing Sheene Curve as he approached the end of lap one, falling to 11th as a result. Heuzenroeder pulled away from the car behind him after a brief safety car period and crossed the line comfortably in the same spot, claiming another solid points-scoring result.

The JHR Developments driver started Race 3, which had its starting lineup dictated by the results of qualifying with the top 12 reversed, in sixth. He kept his nose clean on a chaotic lap one and gained a position before the safety car was called into action to neutralise the race. Heuzenroeder dropped back to sixth as the green flag flew and he remained there until the end of the race, coming home to bag a healthy haul of points to conclude the 2024 season on a high.

The Racing Kelpie’ finished his rookie campaign in GB3 12th in the championship standings and helped JHR Developments claim fourth in the team’s championship.

Patrick Heuzenroeder said:

“It feels good to have ended the GB3 Championship season on a high with a sixth-place finish here at Brands Hatch.

“We had the pace all weekend, which we showed in testing and qualifying, but it was difficult to make much progress with overtaking opportunities being so rare. A couple of unfortunate incidents hurt us overall but I’m happy to come away with two solid results and claim 12th in the championship standings.

“All in all, it has been a positive year in GB3. There have been both highs and lows, but, most importantly, I have learned a lot and will be taking that knowledge into whatever I am racing next year.”

5 + 6 =