Elite Motorsport’s John Bennett will take part in his first single-seater races this weekend at Oulton Park, but the 18-year-old heads to Cheshire in confident mood.
His graduation to GB3 marks his third successive season with the team, following a pair of competitive seasons in the Ginetta GT5 Challenge which included five wins last year.
He’s since gained lots of mileage in the team’s GB3 machinery over the winter, and showed strong pace too, he was second fastest in last month’s official test at Donington Park.
“While this will be my first year competing in single-seaters, I believe I am in a very competitive situation going into the season,” he reckons.
“The continuity of entering a third year with Elite Motorsport has really helped me across our testing programme."
That testing programme means Bennett has visited the vast majority of circuits GB3 will race at this year, giving him valuable knowledge going into each event.
“We have been out on track every month over the winter, at Donington Park, Oulton Park, Silverstone and Snetterton. I have gained loads of confidence in the car and I've been able to work well with my engineer, as well as my teammates to push each other on."
With strong pace shown so far, Bennett is hoping to be a contender towards the front throughout the year.
“With more than 20 drivers confirmed in the championship, I know I’ve got a big challenge ahead of me. I will be aiming to be within the top 10 at Oulton Park and hopefully I can start my single-seater campaign strongly.”