- Swede scores silver to wrap up impressive rookie campaign
- Fortec racer on the podium in nearly 50 % of races
Joel Granfors has finished as runner-up in the 2022 GB3 Championship, as the only non-British driver inside the top four of the final standings.
17-year-old Granfors entered the final round of the season at Donington Park holding second in the standings, just behind leading Briton Luke Browning (20) in a straight fight for the title.
The duo, who have controlled the championship this year, duly proved equally matched on pace once again, lapping within fractions of each other in qualifying for all three of the weekend’s races.
Granfors climbed from eighth on the grid to fifth in the opening race of the meeting on Saturday, while Browning took second. That result extended the Briton’s championship lead to 26.5 points going into Sunday’s all-decisive final pair of races; but with Granfors intriguingly starting ahead of Browning in both.
The drama seemed to thicken further as Granfors stormed off the line in Race 2 to snatch an early lead. However, on a drying track the Swede gradually slipped back on heavily worn wet-weather tyres, eventually finishing 13th – enough for Browning to clinch the title.
Granfors then wrapped up the weekend in style by rising from 13th on the fully-reversed Race 3 grid to finish fifth in the final contest of the season, setting the second-fastest lap of the race.
“Of course I’m a bit disappointed not to win the championship, but we came into the weekend second in the standings and with nothing to lose,”says Joel Granfors. “It feels alright. I always race to win, but Luke has been a strong competitor all year. Congratulations to him on winning the title.
“We did our best, and I’m really proud of what I’ve achieved as a rookie in this championship this season. I also want to say a big thank you to all the guys at Fortec. The team has done a great job this year.”
The 2022 campaign has marked another successful year in Granfors’ fledgling motor racing career. After finishing fourth in British Formula 4 in 2021, the Swede has continued his rise with a yet firmer performance in the higher-tier GB3 category, Britain’s leading domestic single-seater series.
Throughout the course of the season, Granfors has won twice – both times at British GP venue Silverstone – and racked up 11 podiums from 24 races. He has also qualified on pole position on three occasions.
Granfors ends up as the sole non-Briton in the championship top four, and also becomes the highest-placed Fortec Motorsports driver in the standings since 2019.
“Joel has done an incredible job this season,” says Fortec team manager Richard Dutton. “He’s gone up against a more experienced rival and has done everything you can ask for in a rookie year. It’s been a pleasure for us to follow his progress and be a part of his journey here in the UK these last two years. He is now at a very high level and he’s definitely on for great things in the future.”
More information about Joel Granfors’ 2023 racing programme will be communicated in due course.
RESULTS
GB3 Championship
Rd. 8 | Donington Park
CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS
GB3 Championship
After 8/8 rounds
1: Luke Browning (GBR), 507 p.
2: Joel Granfors (SWE), 460.5 p.
3: Tom Lebbon (GBR), 363.5 p.
4: Callum Voisin (GBR), 359 p.
5: Roberto Faria (BRA), 316.5 p.