– Formula 4 graduate encouraged by early pre-season feel
– Fortec racer hits the track at Oulton Park and Snetterton
Joel Granfors has completed his first days of testing in the updated, 2022-spec GB3 Championship car, enjoying productive outings at Oulton Park and Snetterton this week.
Granfors is stepping up to GB3 – previously known as British Formula 3 – this season, extending his relationship with Fortec Motorsports following a race-winning campaign in the F4 British Championship last year.
Although the Swede did complete two days of exploratory GB3 testing before Christmas, work for 2022 began in earnest this week as Granfors laid hands on the new Tatuus MSV-022 chassis for the first time.
The updated car ushers in a new era of enhanced performance for the championship, with a 25 % spike in aerodynamic downforce and an engine power increase from 230 to 250 bhp.
Safety standards have also been improved thanks to the introduction of the F1-style halo and revised side-impact protection.
Granfors found himself immediately in sync with the new car, running on Tuesday at Oulton Park and on Thursday at Snetterton.
“I think the new car is great,” says Joel Granfors. “It’s an all-round improvement over the old one, and from the first impression it’s especially impressive in fast corners thanks to the higher downforce. I have to say testing this week has gone extremely smooth. We’ve really had no issues at all, just chipping away at the set-ups and making myself comfortable in the car.”
In stepping up the UK single-seater ladder, Granfors will work with a mix of new and familiar faces this year in Fortec’s GB3 arm, including the team’s highly experienced chief race engineer Russell Dixon who has helped oversee some of the squad’s biggest successes over the last 20 years.
“I’ve really enjoyed working with Russ this week,” Joel Granfors continues. “We did some work together last year in F4, but his main job is in GB3 and I’m excited to draw on his experience. The early signs are very promising and I couldn’t be happier. I look forward to picking up from here in the following tests.”
Granfors will continue his GB3 testing programme across the coming weeks, as work intensifies in the lead-up to the season-opener at Oulton Park on 16-18 April.