- Daventry team secure more silverware in Britain’s FIA F4 series in Scotland.
- Granfors stars up front, Gray takes solid points haul on tricky weekend for Hedley in Fife.
- High-speed Thruxton hosts next event on 28-29 August.
Fortec Motorsport consolidated their lead in the Teams Cup with another podium double in the F4 British Championship certified by FIA – powered by Ford EcoBoost at Knockhill last weekend (14-15 August).
The Daventry-based team made the annual trip north of the Scottish border to the 1.2-mile Fife circuit with Joel Granfors, Oliver Gray and erstwhile championship leader James Hedley aiming to continue their recent momentum in Britain’s FIA Formula 4 category.
Granfors secured a front-row starting slot for the first and third races, and duly delivered a podium finish on both occasions, twice the runner-up after a recent breakthrough in setup paid dividends for the Swedish talent.
For Gray, the triple header marked another solid points haul, plus a further podium in the Rookie Cup, but it proved to be a difficult weekend for Hedley.
A mechanical problem in qualifying put his weekend on the back foot; although the BRDC Rising Star was able to battle through the field in race trim, a solitary point was all the Poole-based racer could muster from the very back on each occasion.
As a result, he slips five points behind in the title race, but looking ahead with optimism to the next event at Thruxton, where the 17-year-old has five race victories – plus a further podium – from his six starts in single seaters.
In the Teams Cup, Fortec remain 23 points clear of JHR and looking to extend the advantage next time out in Hampshire on 28-29 August.
Oliver Dutton, Team Manager said:
“A really mixed weekend for us, but there are plenty of positives to take from it. We’ve been working really hard on Joel’s setup recently, and it looks like we’ve found something that clicks on that front now.
“It’s great to see him back up on the podium, and arguably had the pace to win both races, but the opportunities just didn’t fall his way.
“Another solid points haul for Ollie, and we’re already working with James on Thruxton next time out – it’s just the inevitable bump in the road on a championship that spans so many races. We’re certainly not overthinking it. On to the next one!”
Joel Granfors (#5) said:
“It’s great to be back on the podium, and those were two intense races trying to force Matias into a mistake.
“I felt we had a pace advantage, especially in Race 3, but he drove well under the pressure and it’s hard to overtake around here. We can still be pleased with two second places, and we’re getting closer to that first win.”
Oliver Gray (#63) said:
“Another solid points haul for me this weekend at Knockhill, but obviously we’d like the results to be a bit higher up the grid.
“I’m already looking forward to Thruxton, it’ll be my first return trip to a circuit on the calendar so it’ll be a really good exercise in measuring how far I’ve progressed so far, and where we can keep improving in future.”
James Hedley (#67) said:
“Obviously, the results aren’t where we’d have wanted them to be this weekend, but it’s the way this championship goes at times – everybody has some bad luck at some stage.
“Hopefully that’s now ours out of the way, and we can concentrate on getting the lead back at Thruxton next time out.
”It’s arguably my strongest circuit, so I’m just focusing on the next race now. What’s done is done, all I can affect is how we bounce back from this.”
