John Bennett graduated from GT5 racing into single-seaters with a move to GB3 with Elite Motorsport this year, but he looked like he’d been driving open wheel cars for years, with a string of top-10 finishes to start the season, and plenty of improvement throughout the year.
A maiden podium in the final weekend of the year at Donington Park propelled him to eighth in the standings, and here’s how he summed up his season.
Best moment:
Best moment of the season would probably be my podium in race one of Donington Park, at the final round of the season. Up to this point I had finished in the top-five multiple times but I had never quite snuck onto the podium - but I was very glad to be able to finish the season with my best result!
Toughest moment
Toughest moment would probably be right after my best moment! A DNF in race two of the last round, just after I had overtaken Callum Voisin for third and could've been on for a second consecutive podium. However, at this point in the championship, the points didn't matter and I was able to just learn from it and take the lessons into next season.
Favourite race of the year:
Favourite race of the year would probably be race two at Spa, it is an incredible track so every race was special, and definitely the best track for overtaking! In this race, I was hit off the track on lap one, back to 13th, but managed to claw my way back to fifth place by the end, so it was a drive that I was very happy with.
Favourite driver to race against this year:
Roberto Faria would probably be my favourite driver to race against, we had a few battles in both Silverstone rounds, one where I came out on top and the other was Faria's, but both times there was good respect and racing between us.
That what if moment
A 'what if' moment might be Silverstone, round six, where I qualified less than a tenth off pole. If I had gone a blink of an eye quicker in qualifying I may have gotten my first podium (or win) a lot sooner!
If I could race anything next year, it would be…
If I could race anything next year, it would be GB3 again! I love the car and the tracks we go to, and two international rounds next year is very exciting. I would love to keep the momentum going from the last round and see what I can do next year, with a season of single seater experience under my belt.
I’m going to spend my winter doing…
I'm going to spend my winter preparing as best I can for whatever racing awaits me next year!