Abbi Pulling produced a pair of memorable drives to clinch two podium finishes in the F4 British Championship at Brands Hatch over the weekend.
After setting the fastest time in free practice, the Gosberton-based JHR Developments racer was just 0.256secs and 0.222secs off pole in qualifying for races two and three respectively, but found herself down in 11th and ninth places.
Race one was the reverse grid showdown, which was won by Zak Taylor.
But Pulling was on fine form behind, making a great overtaking move on Carlin’s Dougie Bolger on the run up Hailwood Hill.
Positions switched at the top of the order, but Pulling was at it again on the final lap – setting up another move on Bolger out of Clearways.
After getting a run on the British-Japanese racer, she was able to get the better run down to the chequered flag and scored a first podium of the 2021 season by just 0.2 seconds.
However, it was in race two that Pulling put in her best performance of the season so far.
James Hedley (Fortec) took the win from JHR’s Matthew Rees, but Pulling once again claimed third – albeit in remarkable circumstances.
In what was a rain-hit race, the South Holland speedster put in arguably the drive of the race, rising through after dropping to the back in the opening laps to secure the final spot on the podium.
The 18-year-old sent the first indication the slicks were coming back ‘in’ with the then-fastest lap of the race on the fifth tour, before dispatching half the field in the space of five laps around the 1.2-mile Indy circuit.
From there, she shadowed her fellow slick runners as they made progress through the points-scorers, before passing Roman Bilinski at Graham Hill and finally McKenzy Cresswell at Clearways to annex third spot, despite a late recovery from Matias Zagazeta in fourth.
Race three was a bit quieter as Zagazeta took the win, with Pulling back in eighth spot.
But she now has 58 points and is sixth in the series ahead of Oulton Park next month (July 31).
