Aiden Neate (Fortec Motorsport) began Round 5 from pole position alongside Dion Gowda (Rodin Carlin) in Sunday’s reverse grid race. JHR Developments’ Deagen Fairclough started from fourth and made a strong start, overtaking Neate in Turn 2. Gowda then successfully challenged Neate for second place, leaving the Fortec driver in third by the end of the opening lap. A charge also came from standings-leader Louis Sharp (Rodin Carlin) who muscled his way from seventh to fourth.
A safety car period for a recovery of a vehicle neutralised action, however when racing resumed Fairclough was on a charge repeatedly setting fastest laps while leading, building a gap to the end. Gowda and Neate continued their battle for second place, with Gowda remaining ahead as the flag dropped and Neate taking third. Louis Sharp finished fourth, earning enough points to retain his lead in the standings.
Subsequent investigations into Fairclough’s earlier overtake on the first lap led to a two position penalty, thus demoting him to third, but retaining his Motul Fastest Lap and accompanying championship point. Neate consequently was promoted to second and Gowda upgraded to the winning trophy.
After taking his double-pole and a podium finish on Saturday, Fortec’s James Higgins took a lights to flag win in the final F4 race of the event. Will Macintyre (Hitech Pulse-Eight) made it hard though, particularly in the opening laps, pressing Higgins repeatedly all the way to the finish. The battle commenced with Higgins initially setting the fastest lap on four occasions before Will Macintyre went faster and then Chris Dittmann Racing’s Daniel Guinchard joined the fray cutting that time twice, finishing the race in third place. Guinchard picked up the Motul Fastest Lap award and added the bonus championship point to his tally and moving him up from eighth to fifth in the standings. The biggest championship change is for second place, with Higgins now challenging Louis Sharp for the title battle. Sharp secured solid championship points but no podium finishes this weekend.
In summary ROKiT British F4 saw three different winners this weekend with Hitech Pulse-Eight’s Kanato Le, Rodin Carlin’s Dion Gowda and Fortec’s James Higgins each taking top honours. Rodin Carlin’s Louis Sharp leaves Kent’s Brands Hatch circuit with an extended points lead at the top of the championship rankings.
The Rookie battle saw Chris Dittmann Racing’s Gustav Jonsson take all three wins this weekend and now tops the Rookie Cup table.
This weekend’s winner of the Pirelli Hardest Charger award, winning a set of tyres for testing, went to Fortec’s Aiden Neate who gained a total of 15 places in the eligible first and third races of the weekend.
There are two weeks until the third event in the ROKiT British F4 Championship calendar when the drivers reconvene at Snetterton in Norfolk on 20th and 21st May for three more championship races.
