ZANDVOORT, Netherlands (11 July 2024) – Colin Queen charges into the second half of his rookie season in the GB3 Partnered by the BRDC season with three races in the Summer Trophy Weekend at Circuit Zandvoort.
The 19-year-old Floridian will drive the No. 62 fielded by Fortec Motorsports in the fifth weekend of the campaign.
Queen, backed by ONE Sotheby’s International Realty, is looking to demonstrate the form that saw him qualify 10th for the season opener at a wet Oulton Park, where he posted finishes of eighth and ninth.
“Since our last race, I worked a lot with the team to come up with a plan for the weekend,” Queen said., “We have a decent amount of practice on track, so that should give us enough time to sort everything out in preparation for qualifying. The weather looks a bit iffy for the weekend, with spots of rain during qualifying, we will be prepared for everything.”
In his most recent event at the Hungaroring near Budapest, Queen qualified near the back of the pack but was able to gain 17 positions in the three races.
“Qualifying this weekend is early- 8 a.m.,” he said. “I’ll be ready and raring to go! Qualifying sets the tone for the weekend and I’ll do everything in my power to maximize the car. We’ll be sticking with the strategy we’ve used all year. What’s hindered us has been a couple of wrong decisions with the setup. Qualifying at Oulton Park (10th) and Silverstone (11th) early in the year went really, really well. Since then, I feel I’ve improved as a driver, especially in the races.”
Queen’s best finish since the opening weekend was in the final race at Spa-Francorchamps in Round 3, finishing ninth after qualifying 18th.
“I’m feeling a lot more confident now than I did at the beginning of the year. If we can get the car dialed in, I know I can be in contention well into the top 10. We have the race craft, it’s just a matter of getting that car dialed in.”
This will be Queen’s first drive at the nine-turn, 1.570-mile circuit in North Holland. He attended last year’s races to support the Fortec team.
“That was a nice holiday, but it’s exciting to race there now,” said Queen, who’s been doing simulation work preparing for his first actual drive. “Zandvoort is a track I absolutely love. It’s up there with my favorites. Once we find the pace in the car, I know I can drive it to the front.”
The weekend opens with four 45-minute testing sessions on Thursday, followed by a pair of 45-minute practice rounds on Friday. Saturday opens with 20-minute qualifying at 8 a.m. local time (2 a.m. ET), followed by 20-minute Race One at 6:55 a.m. Sunday starts with 20-minute Race Two at 4:10 a.m. ET, with the weekend concluding with 25-minute Race Three at 10:30 a.m. ET. The races will be live-streamed on the GB3 YouTube channel.