- Daventry team aims to extend championship advantage in Scotland.
- Hedley leads overall, Fortec ahead in Teams Cup, Gray and Granfors targeting further progress.
- Team looking to build on strong record around 1.2-mile Fife circuit, including five past race victories.
Fortec Motorsport heads to Knockhill, Fife this weekend aiming to extend its advantage in the F4 British Championship certified by FIA – powered by Ford EcoBoost north of the Scottish border.
The Daventry-based team arrives in charge of both the Drivers and Teams’ standings, the former courtesy of BRDC Rising Star James Hedley, with Ollie Gray also in the frame to wrest the Rookie Cup advantage away.
That, plus blistering pace in pre-event testing from Swedish rising star Joel Granfors have fuelled optimism for what promises to be a thrilling triple header around the 1.2-mile, undulating circuit.
Knockhill has been a happy hunting ground for Richard Dutton’s outfit in the past; Luke Browning claimed a double victory in his title-winning season in 2020, with Johnathan Hoggard similarly claiming a brace back in ’18.
Factor in further triumphs for Oliver York (’17) and Alex Quinn (’16) and the annual trip to Scotland ranks highly amongst the team’s past successes.
Having completed two days of testing, the trio’s attention now turns to qualifying at 10:55 on Saturday morning (14 August), before the opening race at 16:10 (BST).
Sunday features another pair of thrilling, 20-minute contests, with lights out scheduled for 10:10 and 15:55, the latter screened live and free-to-air in the UK on ITV4.
Oliver Dutton, Team Manager said:
“All things being well, it should be another successful trip to Knockhill for our British F4 team. It’s a circuit we’ve always run well at in previous years, and with the calibre of our drivers, this season should be no different.
“We’ve been really pleased with their progress during pre-event testing, so now the focus is on putting that together across the weekend and bringing home some more silverware. Ultimately, we want to head back down south with an extended lead in the championship.”
Joel Granfors (#5) said:
“It’s my first time here at Knockhill, and it’s a fun track to drive. Especially the chicane at the back – you literally can’t see anything but the sky driving in! It will probably be tough to overtake, although there is an opportunity into the final hairpin, so I expect qualifying to once again be a key moment this weekend.
“I feel like the changes we made towards the end of the weekend at Oulton Park are really paying off. I’m able to carry a lot more speed into the corners, so I’m pretty confident heading into the races here this weekend. I can’t wait to be back in a few days and get at it for real.”
Ollie Gray (#63) said:
“I’m really focused heading into this event at Knockhill. We’ve had front-running pace all season so far, and the results haven’t really shown that, so the objective is to break that duck and start getting some momentum together.
“As a circuit, it’s very challenging to drive, but that only makes it more enjoyable. I’m aiming to qualify up at the front, and from there we’ll manage the weekend as it comes at us.”
James Hedley (#67) said:
“I’m looking forward to the weekend. Knockhill is a really fun circuit to drive, and we’re arriving in good form after another win last time out at Oulton Park.
“It’s going to be action-packed and the weather is always a question mark here, but we’ll work hard to stay on top of everything and ensure we’re fighting at the front again.”
