Hillspeed's Freddie Slater delivered the drive of a lifetime to surge from 23rd and last on the grid to victory in the final GB3 race of the weekend at Spa-Francorchamps.
Having started every race this weekend from the final spot after stopping on track during qualifying, Slater had already salvaged two top-10 results, but saved his best for last with an inspired tyre gamble in challenging conditions.
Having claimed the lead at the mid-race point, he drove into the distance to win by eight seconds, with Hillspeed's day made even sweeter with Kanato Le finishing second to complete a 1-2, with a move on Reza Seewooruthun on the final lap. Argenti by Prema driver Seewooruthun claimed his maiden GB3 podium with third.
Morning rain had left the track damp ahead of the race, but the surface was gradually drying as the race drew closer. Slater was one of five drivers opting to start the race with slick Pirelli tyres, and with nothing to lose, he simply blasted through the field as the racing line quickly dried out.
With the track at its dampest on lap one, Slater still gained seven places to run 16th, and gained three more spots next time around. He broke into the top-10 to run eighth at the end of lap four, and gained another spot on lap five.
But it was lap six, with the leaders on wet tyres all converging at the front, that will live in the memory for some time. Slater started by picking off Hitech TGR's Nikita Johnson on the run to La Source, and Rodin's Alex Ninovic was dispatched approaching Eau Rouge.
Elite's Will Macintyre was next exiting Raidillon, and Slater went third with a move up the inside of JHR's Noah Lisle at Bruxelles. Lisle's teammate Kai Daryanani soon followed, before a dive past Hitech's Keanu Al Azhari propelled Slater to the lead entering Campus.
From there, he romped into the distance to win with an eight second margin to Le, who also opted for slicks pre-race and carved his way from 12th to second place, backing up his win and pole position from earlier in the weekend.
Seewooruthun was another to bank on slicks pre-race, and he also benefited as he went from 15th to third, having followed Slater for much of the contest.
Xcel Motorsport's Patrick Heuzenroder and Hitech TGR's Deagen Fairclough opted to pit for slicks after the reconnaissance lap to the grid and their own gambles paid off with fourth and fifth.
Slick tyre runners filled the top-nine finishers with Heuzenroeder's teammate Jack Sherwood ahead of Argenti with Prema's Lucas Fluxa, and VRD Racing's pole sitter Hugo Schwarze. The German driver was ninth having led early on, but pitted from the lead for slicks, also picked up a 10 second penalty and still finished ninth. Macintyre in 10th was the lead runner on treaded Pirelli tyres.
The GB3 field now has four weekends off ahead of the visit to the Hungaroring on 5/6 July.
Race winner Slater said: "It's pretty insane. You actually asked me before the race and asked 'are you seriously going on slicks' and we rolled the dice. I think it was a calculated decision once we were out on the outlap to the grid, and then we knew it was going to dry fast. We knew with our cars it was going to dry very quickly and also the wet tyres don't last very long. So I knew it was the right decision a couple of laps in, and then I just had to be calm with it, I couldn't just throw it down the inside at some corners because it was still wet on the inside. So I had to make sure I was calculated with the way I overtook the drivers with the wet tyres on. An insane race, but good fun.
"It's a new one for me [to win from so far back]. It's been nice to hack through, we've had three races from last position and we've finished eighth and ninth and now P1, which I never would have thought would have happened going into the three races. So honestly an amazing weekend, Hillspeed has given me an amazing car, they've done a top job, especially with the tricky conditions. Mr A, Paul Anderson my engineer has done a fantastic job, so thanks very much."
GB3 Championship, partnered by the BRDC, Spa-Francorchamps race three top-six result:
1. Freddie Slater, Hillspeed, 11 laps
2. Kanato Le, Hillspeed, +8.155s
3. Reza Seewooruthun, Argenti with Prema, +9.520s
4. Patrick Heuzenroeder, Xcel Motorsport, +13.083s
5. Deagen Fairclough, Hitech TGR, +14.630s
6. Dion Gowda, Xcel Motorsport, +32.166s
Click here for full result
GB3 Championship, partnered by the BRDC, provisional driver standings after race nine of 24:
1. Alex Ninovic, Rodin Motorsport, 165pts
2. Patrick Heuzenroeder, Xcel Motorsport, 157pts
3. Deagen Fairclough, Hitech TGR, 133pts
4. Freddie Slater, Hillspeed, 130pts
5. Noah Lisle, 128pts
6. Kanato Le, 119pts
Click here for full standings
GB3 Championship, partnered by the BRDC, provisional team standings after race nine of 24:
1. Hitech TGR, 293pts
2. Rodin Motorsport, 288pts
3. Hillspeed, 274pts
4. Xcel Motorsport, 247pts
5. Argenti with Prema, 232pts
6. JHR Developments, 214pts
