A positive round at Brands Hatch in September had seen the squad inch closer to regaining the championship lead they’d held at the start of the campaign, but after an up and season, there was to be a spectacular conclusion to an impressive first year of slicks and wings racing for the squad.
Tom Mills, son of team owner Kevin, took his second victory of the season in Saturday’s opening contest, while Sunday was all about his teammate Jarrod Waberski, who claimed a brilliant double win, his third and fourth triumphs of the year, as the South African landed the runners-up spot in the driver’s standings, and helped the team take their own crown.
A front row spot in qualifying for Mills, allied to the sixth fastest time for Waberski, in a session shortened by a red flag, showed that the team had plenty of pace. Mills was less than two tenths of a second away from pole and Waberski, who at this stage still had slight title aspirations, was within four tenths despite missing out on the opportunity to set improved times at the end of the planned 15-minute session.
Drama before the race saw pole sitter Jack Sherwood spin off on the green flag lap, handing Mills a de facto pole position. Mills took advantage to lead the pack away, building a lead of over 1.3 seconds by the midpoint of the race, though champion-elect Nikolas Taylor was able to close him down in the second half of the contest, with Mills winning by less than half a second.
Waberski joined him on the podium courtesy of a feisty opening lap that saw him climb to fourth, before dispatching newcomer Aqil Alibhai on lap three, finishing two seconds clear of his fellow South African, having joined the lead scrap and finishing five tenths of a second behind Taylor.
Despite the positive result, Waberski was out of contention for the driver’s championship, but it was advantage Kevin Mills Racing in the team’s scrap, as they wrenched the lead away from Hillspeed.
Things got even better on Sunday, as Waberski took control of the event.
Mills and Waberski started third and fourth on the grid for race two, but it was Mills who shot into the lead at the first corner of one of the most dramatic opening laps of the season. Taylor instantly looked to fight back, with the duo going wheel to wheel through four corners, which handed the lead to Waberski, who blasted past the pair at the Melbourne Hairpin.
It was a KMR 1-2 until lap seven, when Mills was harpooned by Hillspeed’s Oliver Clarke at the Melbourne Hairpin, dropping three spots down the order. He immediately looked to fight back, and while challenging Clarke’s teammate Megan Gilkes there was contact at McLeans, with both cars firing off into the gravel and out of the race.
That brought out the safety car, and with only a handful of laps remaining and a lengthy recovery job needed, the race ended under yellow flag conditions with Waberski making up for the team’s disappointment by taking his third win of the season, and strengthening their grip on the team’s championship.
That victory brought Waberski to within four points of stealing second place in the driver’s championship from Max Marzorati, but faced the prospect of starting behind him on the reverse grid for race three.
Waberski lined-up seventh on the grid, while Mills had his work cut out from 12th, with all three Hillspeed cars ahead of him. KMR held a 14-point advantage over the team at the start of the race, but things looked to take another twist as Marzorati made one of the starts of the season to blast into the lead from fourth before the first corner.
However one of the Hillspeed cars was instantly eliminated after Clarke collided with Chloe Grant at the first corner, leading to another safety car. Marzorati led the contest, with Waberksi and Mills having climbed to third and 11th amidst the drama, and when the race resumed, it didn’t take long for Waberski to resume his charge.
Moving past Jessica Edgar for second on lap four, he immediately closed down the seven tenth gap to Marzorati and engaged his rival in battle. A lunge at the Melbourne Hairpin saw him take the lead, but the Hillspeed contender fought back and the pair were wheel to wheel for another couple of corners before Waberski pulled away.
That scrap put Waberski ahead of Marzorati in the standings, and his cushion was made more comfortable when his rival was passed by Macintyre on lap eight.
While Waberski’s runner-up spot looked assured, things were tighter in the team’s battle as the Hillspeed duo of Marzorati and Gilkes were circulating ahead of Mills, who was running eighth. With KMR doing just about enough, the tension was eased considerably when the Hillspeed challenge hit the self-destruct button, as Gilkes made a lunge on Marzorati for fourth place at the Melbourne Hairpin on the penultimate lap. The pair tangled, dropping them to eighth and ninth, while Mills shot through into sixth.
At the front, Waberski held off a late challenge from Macintyre to win by six tenths of a second, and with Mills claiming fifth with a pass on Alibhai on the final tour, the team’s championship crown was in the bag.
Waberski ultimately finished 50 points behind champion Taylor and 14 clear of Marzorati, while Mills’ strong end to the season rewarded him with fourth in the championship. KMR took the team’s crown 43 points clear of Hillspeed, after an incredible weekend turnaround.
Team Principal Kevin Mills could hardly contain his emotion afterwards: “I just can’t believe it, it’s amazing” he said. “We moved up from Formula Ford to GB4 and we’d not run slicks and wings cars until this year. It’s been a really steep learning curve going up against some amazing teams, and it’s been a really tough job.
“We just kept chipping away with two really good drivers who have learned all the way and both of them have won races. As each meeting has gone on, we’ve got faster and faster, and that’s led to us winning all three races this weekend. It’s amazing and with the team behind me, I can’t thank them all enough for their efforts.
“We’re really fortunate that SD teams came onboard and got us onto the grid. Without their help, we wouldn’t be here, they’ve backed us so much. Any problems we had, we went back to them and they’ve been really helpful.”
Double winner Jarrod Waberski said: “Joining GB4 and Kevin Mills Racing is the best decision I think we’ve ever made. This championship and this year has really changed our lives a lot. It’s been an exceptional year, to finish second in the championship and do it like that, in the reverse grid race is awesome.
“I’m over the moon, this year has been incredible. I can’t thank the team enough, the car has been mega this weekend, we’ve secured the teams championship which is wonderful for them.”
Race one winner Tom Mills said: “I’m super happy to help bring home the team’s championship for the team. Together with Jarrod we took a clean sweep of victories this weekend, and it’s an amazing way to end a rollercoaster season.
“For me, I’m happy to take P4 in the driver’s championship after a strong end to the year, and taking two wins in the final two meetings is a great way to head into the winter. A massive thanks to SD teams for making this season possible, and thanks again to the team for a super-fast car in their first year of slicks and wings racing.”
