Fortec Motorsport will look to re-capture its recent front-running form in the ROKiT F4 British Championship certified by FIA with an expanded three-car line-up at Thruxton this weekend [3-4 June].
The Daventry-based team salvaged a good haul of points after a setback in qualifying limited their results at Snetterton last time out, on a weekend where persistent red flags and safety car intervals severely reduced the number of actual racing laps.
Refreshed, and ready to go again, the team’s usual pairing of Aiden Neate and James Higgins will be joined from this weekend by South African talent Mika Abrahams, as the youngster makes his racing debut in Britain’s FIA Formula 4 series after several promising testing outings thus far in 2023.
In prospect is the high-speed, 2.4-mile Thruxton circuit. Over 80% of the lap is spent all throttle, with key overtaking spots in the braking zones at the complex, and into the Club chicane after the long run up Woodham Hill.
It’s a circuit that holds memories for Alpine F1 junior Neate, who claimed a maiden victory in the series at the Hampshire venue last season. Higgins and Abrahams both arrive as first-time visitors in F4, but the former has experienced the venue during his tenure in the Ginetta Junior Championship.
In the standings, the team will be looking to improve on their third position in the Teams standings, with Neate and Higgins respectively aiming to make progress through the top ten in the Drivers’ stakes.
After two free practice sessions on Friday, qualifying at 11:05 (BST) on Saturday sets the grid for all three races, the first of which follows at 16:10 that afternoon.
Sunday features the usual double-header of ITV4-televised action, with lights out at 13:00 and 16:30.
James Higgins (#18) said:
“I’m really excited to get this weekend underway at Thruxton.
“After Snetterton, the team at Fortec Motorsport and I are keen to get back out there and showcase our true performance.
“The aim is to get a few more podiums under our belt and keep pushing up the standings.”
Mika Abrahams (#29) said:
“After a long winter, I’m really excited to make my British F4 debut at Thruxton this weekend.
“My pre-season testing programme has been great, I feel I’ve learned a lot and I’m looking forward to applying that out on track in race trim.
“I’m not setting myself any expectations for this weekend, results-wise. The important thing for me is to maximise my own performance, and to bring back the best results possible for myself and for the team.”
Aiden Neate (#57) said:
“I’m really looking forward to Thruxton this weekend, and to see what we can achieve as a team.
“Fortec Motorsport provided me with a fantastic car here in testing earlier this year, so I’m arriving in the knowledge that we already have a good baseline to build from.
“I have a lot of good memories here as a driver, including my first single seater win last year, so I can’t wait to get going again.”
Oliver Dutton, Team Principal said:
“It’s been a mixture of highs and lows over the last couple of rounds for our ROKiT British F4 team, so the important thing at Thruxton this weekend is to restore some consistency.
“This championship is always ridiculously competitive, so we need to make sure we make the most of qualifying first. From there, we know we have the drivers and the car to fight at the very front.
“Thruxton tends to throw a few curveballs every time we visit, but if we focus on everything we can control, then all the ingredients are there for a positive weekend, and we can start to climb the standings again.”
