Ninovic seals GB3 crown
The rise of Australian talent Alex Ninovic continues to soar to new heights after he sealed the GB3 Championship with a round to go.
Two wins in last weekend’s penultimate round at Donington Park were enough for Ninovic to build an insurmountable 113-point buffer ahead of the Monza finale.
Fittingly, it is an Aussie-dominated championship with his nearest rivals Patrick Heuzenroeder and Gianmarco Pradel.
He is the first Australian to win a GB3 championship, growing Rodin’s dominance after Kiwi Louis Sharp dominated similarly last year.
Ninovic has been the form driver all year, already entering the penultimate round with double the amount of wins of the next best driver.
The Rodin Motorsport 19-year-old from Sydney strengthened his position by dominating at the track Ayrton Senna made famous in 1993.
Despite battling changing conditions, Ninovic still took pole and then converted it in fine style.
He enjoyed a grand start, pulling 2.7s clear inside the first two laps alone before a Safety Car wiped that out.
Despite Reza Seewooruthun being just six tenths adrift at the drop of the chequered flag, Ninovic was never seriously troubled and kicked the weekend off in style.
Lisle also fended off compatriot Heuzenroeder in a tight battle to be the second Australian on the podium.
“I am super happy and could not have asked for more,” Ninovic said post-race.
“The car felt amazing from the get-go and kept it consistent from there.
“We got a good start and the pace was so strong they could not keep up and I just tried to manage everything.”
Nothing was going to stop Ninovic from securing the title in style, not even a 10s penalty.
The Rodin driver overcame adversity in Race 2, suffering a 10s penalty for a jumped start.
Despite the setback, Ninovic put the foot down and went into qualifying mode to impressively build a large enough margin to take an eighth win of the year.
He had 1.131s up his sleeve to Seewooruthun and Deagen Fairclough, who forced Heuzenroeder to settle for fourth again.
“It was a very nerve-racking race trying to open that gap, so to get the win feels amazing
“I cannot thank Rodin Motorsport enough for allowing me to show what the car and myself are capable of.
“I was looking at the laps counting down, hoping to not get a Safety Car because that would of ruined everything.
“To open such a gap was quite impressive.”
As a result, Ninovic simply needed to outscore Heuzenroeder by three points in the finale to seal the deal.
Despite his Xcel Motorsport rival starting ahead, Ninovic secured the GB3 crown with a solid seventh place in the reverse grid affair.
It was a formality by Lap 1 after Heuzenroeder was eliminated in a clash that also involved Reza Seewooruthun, Flynn Jackes and Abbi Pulling, and Pradel.
Ninovic will celebrate the crown at the Monza finale on October 18-19.
Image: Rodin
Read the new issue of Auto Action Digital HERE
Buy the new issue of Auto Action Premium HERE
Don’t forget the print edition of Auto Action available via subscription here or you can purchase a copy of the latest issue from one of our outlets here.
