With five rounds of seven complete in 2023, GB4 will soon crown its second champion. However, the series’ inaugural victor, Nikolas Taylor, has been on the sidelines for much of this year. Testing a GB3 car for the first time at the end of July, though, has reignited Taylor’s hopes of making it into GB4’s parent series come 2024.

By George Brabner

Taylor had amassed nine wins, nine pole positions and five podiums in GB4 by the time the chequered flag fell for the final time at Donington Park in his championship-winning season for Fortec Motorsport. He maintained a high level of performance across 2022, having stood on the podium at least once in all eight rounds of the year and outscored 2023 championship leader Tom Mills and series alumnus Jarrod Waberski.

A GB3 graduation similar to Waberski’s was something the British-Malaysian driver saw as ‘the best option’ when the 2022 season came to an end, but budget constraints have made the jump infeasible.

However, courtesy of Chris Dittmann Racing, Taylor was behind the wheel of a GB3 car for the first time in pre-event testing for GB3’s fifth round at Silverstone, an important chance for the reigning GB4 champion to show his speed and adaptability.

Proving his worth

Jumping in CDR’s third car for the first of two days of testing, Taylor only had three 25-minute sessions behind the wheel.

Damp conditions in the first session gave way to dry running in the next two, and lap times decreased by approximately five seconds over the course of the day. In both wet and dry conditions, Taylor gained crucial experience in a car he hopes to race full time in the future.

“It felt different, you know. I haven’t driven in a while – I mean, I’ve driven like two races this year – so to get back in the car, to get back in the GB3 car… for the first time, feels really good,” Taylor told Feeder Series.

The 2022 GB4 champion was quick to adapt, finishing the opening session sixth, 1.5 seconds faster than CDR’s second full-timer Zak Taylor.

“First session was pretty damp, so I got to show my skill,” he said. “I went P6, that was good, and then first time in the dry, two sessions, 25 minutes. Not that long, but it was good to get out in the car, good to feel the downforce. And I wasn’t pushing fully 100%, but the pace is there, so hopefully we get the budget for next year.”

Taylor was not able to match the lap times of his more experienced temporary teammate as the sessions continued, but he finished an encouraging 16th overall after a total of just 75 minutes on track.

Trying to settle in

Taylor said there was “not that much” he could learn from his delayed first GB3 excursion. However, forging a relationship with Chris Dittmann Racing through the test was notable positive for Taylor in his search for a 2024 drive.  

“I was supposed to get in a GB3 car earlier this year, but we had a problem. Just to get out there, to show my pace to all the teams and everyone, just to tell them that I’m still here, it’s a good feeling,” Taylor said. 

“[Chris Dittmann Racing is] a really good team. I think we get along well. Maybe we’ll see how it goes in the future, but I’m all options open for next year,” he said.

With limited track time, one of the key foci for Taylor was quickly acclimatising to the GB3 car’s downforce-induced performance through Silverstone’s many high-speed corners, especially when compared to what he had grown familiar with in GB4.

“If I do a few more days… I already know the tyres, it’s just the high-speed stuff. Maybe I can use it for different cars and everything, but it seems like I adapt to new cars quite well,” he said.

“Just to get in the car with everyone there as well on Thursday, just to know that my speed is still there as well, it’s a good feeling, and hopefully I can use that to motivate myself to get faster.”

Keeping a foot in the door

Whilst Taylor has raced twice in F4 CEZ this year with Renauer Motorsport, he has also been present in the British GT support series paddock. Still close to Fortec Motorsport, who took him to the GB4 title one year ago, the 18-year-old has been coaching Colin Queen, Ruhaan Alva and Aditya Kulkarni, the team’s current crop of GB4 drivers.

“I’ve been learning my skills in coaching as well. They’re a good bunch of lads – it’s just a bit different. You see them driving the car that you drove last year, but then you’re not actually driving, you’re just telling them and coaching. It’s different, but I think it’s good that I’m still in the paddock as well,” Taylor said.

“Every driver is different, so you can see other people doing stuff that maybe you could do in the future. Motorsport is always a learning curve, especially this early in my career.”

Header photo credit: GB4 Championship