- Reigning champions aim to stretch F4 points lead at 2.2-mile Cheshire circuit.
- Hedley arrives 20 points clear, with Fortec leading JHR in the Teams Cup by 18 markers.
- Action-packed triple header awaits trio, with Sunday’s race live on ITV4.
Fortec Motorsport heads to Oulton Park, Cheshire this weekend (31 Jul – 01 Aug) aiming to extend its lead in the F4 British Championship certified by FIA – powered by Ford EcoBoost.
The Daventry-based team head to the 2.2-mile Island circuit with a 20-point advantage in the Drivers’ standings courtesy of BRDC Rising Star, James Hedley, with a similar 18-point buffer over nearest rivals JHR in the Teams Cup.
Brands Hatch last month proved to be a mixed affair for the team’s trio of rising stars; Hedley did make a third trip of the campaign to the winner’s circle but suffered last-lap contact in the opening race.
Team-mates Joel Granfors and Ollie Gray had the front-running pace, if not the luck, to extract maximum points from the 1.2-mile Indy circuit, but the latter did achieve another Rookie Cup podium to keep his charge on track.
Oulton Park has been a happy hunting ground for the team in the past, including a headline-grabbing hat-trick for local hero, and eventual champion, Luke Browning back in 2020’s pandemic-hit season.
Two practice sessions on Friday set the tone for what will undoubtedly be another highly competitive triple header, followed by arguably the most critical qualifying session of the season at 09:05 (all times BST) on Saturday morning.
Two races that afternoon kick off the competitive action at 14:10 and 17:35, with a further ITV4-televised contest on Sunday at 14:00.
Oliver Dutton, Team Manager said:
“The whole team is raring to go at Oulton Park this weekend after a five-week layoff. We’ve still got the lead in two championships, with a third very much in sight, so there’s plenty of motivation for everybody to feed off.
“Last season we managed a clean sweep around here, and although the odds on repeating that are slim, a decent qualifying will definitely put us in the frame, this is a circuit where overtaking isn’t easy.
“Hopefully it’s another positive weekend for our drivers, and we head back to base on Sunday night not just having retained the championship lead, but having extended it back out again.”
Joel Granfors (#5) said:
“I’m extremely motivated to get going again after the break, and I can’t wait to be back on track,”
“We had a really good test at Oulton Park a while ago, with promising pace, and I think this is one of the most rewarding and fun tracks to drive here in the UK.”
Ollie Gray (#63) said:
“It’s been a bit of a wait, but I’m really pleased to be back racing, and at a proper driver’s circuit like Oulton Park.
“It’s a really fun track to drive, and I’m feeling very motivated to go out there and hit the front. We’ve had the pace in every round so far, just not the luck, but that’ll come in good time.”
James Hedley (#63) said:
“I’m excited to get back in the car for Oulton Park this weekend, the five-week gap has felt like a lot longer!
“It’s a circuit I’ve gone well at in the past, and last year we were right in the battle for victory with Luke Browning, who was of course driving for Fortec, so we know the car will be in good shape around here.
“If we can repeat last season and get pole position, that’ll start everything off on a good note and from there we can manage the weekend. I’m feeling confident!”
