There’s little remaining to say about Luke Browning’s GB3 campaign! The British driver claimed the championship title with a race to spare, won more times than anyone else, claimed more podiums and led the most laps.
If that wasn’t enough, he then won the Aston Martin Autosport BRDC Young Driver of the Year Award in December, earning a £200,000 prize, a test in an Aston Martin F1 car, and full BRDC Membership.
Here’s his thoughts on a hugely successful season.
Best moment:
It’s got to be winning the championship at Donington Park. I think the elation of getting out the car, although it wasn’t with a race win, the elation of winning the GB3 Championship is pretty unmatched throughout the year. Then there’s Oulton Park, that double win at home at the first round of the year felt pretty special too.
Toughest moment:
It has to be Silverstone. Being that many points ahead going into it, and then coming off the back of it knowing I really had to get my head down, I had some points to make up. If I look back at it now and if we hadn’t quite made the progress in the last two rounds that we made, we’d have really struggled. I remember seeing a stat that over the last two rounds we scored my highest points tallies, even though we’d had those double wins at Spa and Oulton Park. I think really pulling it out when it mattered made the biggest difference.
Favourite race of the year:
It has to be having that home support at Oulton Park. Coming back on the podium and seeing all my friends and winning for the first time with Hitech, that was probably my favourite moment.
Favourite driver to race against this year:
I’ve got a few different drivers for a few different reasons! Am I allowed to say a few?! I think I really respect Joel with just his raw qualifying pace, which is incredible. To race against him, we were always very clean together and I really respect that because it’s certainly not easy, especially fighting for this championship over here. I know he’s been a champion in the past and that probably played into his favour and probably why we were so respectful to each other because we knew it was important not to crash. I really enjoyed racing against Joel because we gave each other room, we were harsh, fair, we tried to beat each other but we cut it off just at the right point and didn’t let it go any further.
I enjoyed racing against a few other people too. I really enjoyed drivers with a different, more aggressive driving style, but there’s a few people that I made sure I was wary around! But there were certainly a few people I enjoyed racing against and I have to say I enjoyed racing against James Hedley, I thought he was quite a harsh but fair driver, as well as John Bennett. I think looking at that last round at Donington Park, where I went for a cheeky move around the outside, I was there and it was fair and square, he didn’t just shove me off the track, he left me room and I think that for me really made it. The fact that in GB3, the stewarding was spot on it allows you to be confident enough to go for these moves and not to come out being punished. Everyone gives each other room and its fair racing. That’s what the spectators want to see and I have to credit John for that, he was harsh but fair and gave me absolutely nothing but the only bit that he should. For that, I really respect him.
That what if moment…
We were really consistent in the races and I think a couple of times here and there, if only that Donington race one (May) hadn’t have happened and I’d gone left instead of right. At the time it was just impossible to predict, but getting caught up in Joel’s and Matt’s accident which had nothing to do with me and just destroyed my car, it was gutting. I think if that hadn’t have happened, it may not have been so down to the wire!
If I could race anything next year, it would be…
Formula 2! If I could go straight into anything it would be F2, but I think you have to be sensible and take the right steps at the right point. But if money wasn’t an object and I had a complete choice, I’d go and do Formula 2 for two years and have a shot at it, because I think with the right preparation and the right team around me I think I’d be good enough for it.
I’m going to spend my winter doing…
I’m going to be doing some sim racing and absolutely getting my head down. I’ve obviously been given this awesome opportunity after winning GB3 and winning the Aston Martin Autosport BRDC Award, I could not be in a better position. Hopefully it will open a few doors off the back of it and I can’t wait to get my head down and fully get into it. I’ll be training every day and I don’t really fancy having a break! I just want to get my head down and as this is the point now where the hard work starts.