On 22 and 23 July, Formula G continued the season with another double header, this time on the mighty tarmac lake at Donington Park. With plenty of surprises and twists and turns at rounds 1 & 2, there was plenty to play for in both Street and Pro classes, which could be anyone’s as it stands!

We also welcomed back Pitstop Social, a group focused on creating a community of like-minded petrolheads and tackling mental health issues, for another ‘Gymkhana and Coffee’.

Despite a slightly smaller entry list than usual, there was, once again, an abundance of drama for our drivers and spectators, particularly in Pro with the return of Mike Newland and Sam Fleet threatening to upset the current order, and the weather wreaking all sorts of havoc, too!

Round 3

The Saturday was wet. Really wet. A lot of the drivers struggled to find any meaningful grip, but those with Rainsports (other high wet performance tyres are available) were able to take advantage of the standing water on the track.

In Street Class, with just three entries all were guaranteed a step on the podium if they finished. Gediminas Lankutis qualified well ahead of Daniel Bougourd and Levente Bozoki, setting a time of 55.176s which would have seen him qualify second in Pro. He was unable to improve on that time in battles, but managed to hold off the others to secure first place. Levente took second, with Daniel taking third place and Fastest Novice.

`Ged dominated in the wet to continue his winning streak in Street Class`

In Pro Class, the 8 drivers all struggled to put the power down on the wet course but it was Ryan Milton who qualified first with an impressive time of 55.098s. Close behind him was Sam Fleet, back for the first time this season and immediately making his mark. In third, Dmitrij Sribnyj demonstrating how well he can drive in 2WD as well as AWD. Consistent drives in the battles from all three secured their places on the podium, with Sam defeating Mantas Sliogeris to take third place, and Ryan beating Dmitrij in the Final to take first and second respectively. Ryan set the fastest time of the day in his Top 4 battle against Mantas, with an incredible time of 54.756s.

`Ryan Milton took full advantage of the conditions to take first place`

Round 4

The weather on Sunday was much better - the wind carried any wet weather through nice and quickly, and for the most part it stayed fairly dry until the end. With drivers finding grip much more easily, the competition was much closer…

Two more Street Class competitors in the form of Sarah Price and Gabrielius Krunkauskas on the Sunday meant a slightly tougher contest for Championship points for the drivers. Sarah and Gabe immediately made an impact, qualifying second and third behind Ged, who set a time of 50.904s. In the Top 4 battles, a super close race between Sarah and Gabe saw Sarah progressing to the Final leaving Gabe to battle Levente for third place after he just lost out to Ged. The Third Place battle was decided by just one tenth of a second, with Levente sneaking ahead with only the reaction times at the tree separating them. In the Final, Sarah snuck ahead of Ged with an incredible reaction and launch at the lights, and kept her bonnet in front right until the final obstacle - a 360 in to the stop box - where Ged managed to just claw back the lead. In the second leg though, Ged found over a second to set fastest time of the day and Sarah, although consistent to the end, just wasn’t able to keep pace, but did secure Fastest Novice with her performance.

`Sarah Price narrowly missed out on the top spot in Street Class`

In Pro Class, the top 7 drivers all qualified within 2 seconds of one another, and the top 3 were separated by just 3 tenths. Dmitrij took maximum points with a time of 48.045s, doing just enough to hold off Ryan with his time of 48.056s. Mantas qualified third with a time of 48.394s. Come the battles, though, it was anyone’s guess as to what would happen next. Ryan dropped out of the running in his Top 8 battle against Sam Fleet, despite being quicker, due to a wrong turn, and Mantas suffered a double de-beading in his battle against Stephen Gretton. While recovering Mantas’ car from the course, the weather took a turn for the worse as the rain came. Despite a speedy tyre change, Stephen couldn’t find the grip to beat Sam for a spot in the Final, and was to face Matthew Holder in the Third Place battle after he was knocked out by Dmitrij, who found 0.9s in his second leg to take the other place in the Final. Stephen was ultimately victorious and took third. In the Final, Sam, on semi-slicks, was no match for Dmitrij in the damp conditions and had to settle for second place, while Dmitrij secured his first win in 2WD since switching from AWD.

`Dmitrij Sribnyj took his first 2WD Pro win at Rd 4 with a sterling performance`

A huge thanks to all the marshals and team members who turned up to support the Championship and brave the elements. What a fantastic weekend, no amount of rain could dampen the spirits in the paddock!

We’re taking a short summer break now, but will be back for a weekend of fun at Brands Hatch on 16/17 September. At just £100 for the whole weekend, and strictly limited to 20 drivers, you won’t get more seat time for the money! Sign up here. After that, Rounds 5 & 6 will be back at Santa Pod on 21/22 October. Bring your wellies… Whatever the weather, we will be going ahead!