McKenzy Cresswell showed his fighting spirit at Brands Hatch this past weekend (September 10/11) during what was a challenging penultimate round of the GB3 Championship partnered by the BRDC, where results didn’t fully reflect the encouraging pace he possessed.
Returning to action in the single-seater series following a five-week break, the Chris Dittmann Racing driver netted a best result of seventh around the world-famous Grand Prix layout whilst also producing two further determined performances.
Back to full fitness following a sizeable accident last time out at Silverstone which saw him barrel-roll his GB3 car, the 16-year-old wasted no time in getting back up to speed during practice as he showed front-running pace around the famous Kent venue.
During qualifying, red flags and traffic prevented the Motorsport UK Academy and BRDC Rising Star driver from converting this pace into anything higher than 12th on the grid for the first of what proved to be three frenetic races.
As the lights went out, Cresswell - who is sponsored by Quenched Drinks and supported by Salt Recruitment - held position during a steady opening lap before a spin at Sheene Curve dropped him to the rear of the field.
Getting his head down, Cresswell was able to fight his way back up the order in the remaining laps, completing a number of impressive moves, to take the chequered flag in 16th place.
Cresswell found himself in the thick of the action during the opening exchanges of race two as he battled to a 12th place finish. Caught up in several wheel-to-wheel dices during the early laps, the Spa-Francorchamps podium finisher was ultimately unable to make any further progress.
Lining up on the third row of the grid for the third and final contest, Cresswell brought the curtain down on his weekend at Brands Hatch with another gritty drive. In a performance that mirrored race two, the teenage racer duked it out with his rivals on the first tour before setting into a groove and bringing the car home in seventh.
McKenzy Cresswell: “It’s been a bit of an up and down weekend where the results haven’t really showcased the pace that we’ve had in the car. I’ve got to give a huge shoutout to everyone at Chris Dittmann Racing as they were mega once again.
“Red flags and traffic meant we didn’t get a clear run of things in qualifying and that basically dictated the rest of the weekend. We started out of place in the races and with it being tricky to pass around here, there was only so much we could do in each race.
“I’ll be the first to admit that this has been a challenging season but we’ve continued to work hard and make progress; now we’ll hit the reset button and look to come back strong at Donington Park with the aim of signing off the season on a high.”
The GB3 Championship partnered by the BRDC will bring the curtain down on its 2022 season around the Grand Prix layout of Donington Park on October 15/16.
Image from Jakob Ebrey Photography.