Getting hands on with GB4 mechanics at one of Britain’s most iconic circuits
I recently got the chance to spend two days at Silverstone with Hillspeed Racing, supporting their mechanics during a GB4 practice event. It was a fantastic experience and I learned so much in a really short space of time.
I got stuck in straight away, helping the mechanics get the cars ready between sessions. That meant things like checking tyre pressures, fuelling and defuelling, cleaning the cars down and helping keep everything tidy and ready to go. I also helped with starting the cars which was really impressive, (the sound) there’s a process to it and you have to get it right every time.
Outside of racing I’ve been learning how to work on my own kart, changing tyres, adjusting setup for different track conditions, understanding how small changes to the kart affect how it handles on track. I didn’t realise at the time how much that would actually prepare me for something like this. A lot of the fundamentals are the same. Checking pressures, preparing the car between sessions, making sure everything is set up correctly.
One thing that really surprised me was how similar it all felt to a karting race weekend. Obviously the cars are much faster and everything is on a much bigger scale, but the way the team works between sessions, the preparation, the attention to detail, making sure the car is absolutely ready before the driver gets in , then reviewing race data — it’s actually not that different. It made me realise that the habits you build at a young age in motorsport really do matter and carry through to the higher levels.
Silverstone is an incredible place to be at the best of times, but being there trackside with a professional team while GB4 cars are flying past is something else. It’s made me even more motivated to keep pushing both in and out of the kart.
Jack Bowie