Ushijima positive about future after second GB3 podium at Donington

Reece Ushijima took his second P2 finish of the GB3 Championship weekend at Donington Park in Race 2 on Sunday morning.

His weekend has gone much better than the series’ previous visit to Leicestershire, which brought two retirements after collisions with Hitech GP team-mate Bart Horsten in Race 2 and Zak O’Sullivan in Race 3.

When The Checkered Flag spoke to Reece in parc fermé after Race 1, he said he would prefer a dry race, but made the best of the sodden track conditions after starting on pole.

We caught up with him again after his second podium of the weekend, with the Japanese-American driver mired in a tight battle for second place in the Drivers’ Championship.

“I was a bit concerned at the start, I don’t have a lot of experience in the rain but I was glad to be able to get on the podium and collect good points,” he said.

“My fight isn’t with Zak anymore, we’re trying to get P2 in the championship, so we just have to crack on in this last one and see where we end up.”

The race started behind the safety car due to the wet conditions, it being the first wet running the drivers had had at Donington all season.

“It was a bit difficult for me, every time I tried to get temperature in the tyres I caught the safety car.

“I didn’t even have temps in the first lap, that’s why I ran wide at turn 4 [Old Hairpin], but it was going to be difficult either way in these conditions.”

The Hitech driver starts 19th in the reverse-grid Race 3, but expects to move forward.

“I’m quite confident in my racecraft, I think I can do well in that. The conditions are going to be difficult either way, it’ll be most difficult if there’s only one dry line.

“But it’ll be fun for me and the other drivers, so we’ll see how we get on.”

With only one race remaining this season, we asked Reece about his plans for the 2022 campaign. He remained coy on his future, but was positive.

“Nothing I can tell you about, but we do have plans and hopefully it all goes through.”