FORTEC MOTORSPORT’S TRIO OF DRIVERS SECURE SILVERWARE AT 2020 BRITISH F4 OPENER
● Weekend to remember for the Daventry-based squad as all three drivers secure overall podium finishes in thrilling season opener.
● Brace of podiums places Luke Browning second in the Drivers’ standings leaving Leicestershire.
● Roberto Faria secures maiden series podium as newcomer Rafael Villagomez seizes Rookie Cup with remarkable rostrum visit on debut weekend.
Fortec Motorsport enjoyed a memorable British F4 season opener at Donington Park, with all three drivers visiting the podium across a successful weekend. Luke Browning made a strong start to his title challenge with a brace of podiums across the trio of contests, scoring the fastest lap en route to second position in race one.
Despite a difficult reverse grid race on Sunday morning, Browning bounced back in the final race to again finish second with fastest lap, cementing the pace he displayed all weekend in Leicestershire. The successful results earned him second in the Driver’s standings, with a victory surely the goal heading into the the triple-header at Brands Hatch this weekend. Brazilian ace Roberto Faria translated blistering qualifying speed into strong race results at Donington Park, securing his maiden series podium in the opening encounter to kick off his sophomore season with the outfit in fine fashion. He was unfortunate to suffer contact in race two before narrowly missing out on the
podium in the final race of the weekend after starting from a well-earned pole position.
Series newcomer Rafael Villagomez made a dream start to life in the series, with a hat-trick of points finishes, two Rookie Cup victories and an overall podium the highlight of an unforgettable weekend. The Mexican racer stormed to a maiden Rookie Cup victory at the first time of asking, placing sixth overall in race one before scoring a maiden podium and a second consecutive Rookie Cup win in the following contest. The 2019 Richard Mille Young Talent Academy winner capped off a fine weekend with his another points finish in ninth, and enjoys a healthy lead in the Rookie Cup standings as a result. Fortec’s trio of racers are aiming to build on a strong start to their British F4 campaign as they head to the iconic Brands Hatch Grand Prix circuit this weekend [08-09 August].
Fortec British F4 Team Manager Oliver Dutton said:
“We’re happy with how the season opener unfolded, and to get all three drivers on the podium created a positive energy in the awning which was great to see.
I know we have more to give and was slightly disappointed we didn’t get a win but I know there’s many in the pipeline and we’ll keep pushing together to get onto the top step.
I was very proud of all our drivers, Roberto has made a great step forward and to take his maiden podium was amazing. Luke setting fastest laps showed his impressive pace and Rafael showed he had what it takes to fight at the front in his first weekend in cars.
We’re expecting to very competitive when we get to Brands Hatch.”
Roberto Faria (#7) said:
“A podium finish in a tough championship like British F4 is a great and strong way to begin the season.
It shows the hard work the team and I did during the pre-season and we know there is a lot more to come. Brands Hatch GP is a great track, one of my favourites. The fact that the GP layout is not available very often for tests makes it even more challenging so I believe the second-year drivers will have a little advantage.”
Rafael Villagomez (#8) said:
“It was an amazing weekend, my first ever in cars. We started with a not-so-good qualifying, but the team and I worked on it. The races were very good, taking my first ever podium and two first places in the Rookie Cup was amazing.
A big thanks to Fortec for the work they did. For the first round already we have got a decent amount of points, but I want to keep going and increase that gap. Brands Hatch is such a cool track, my first time at the track was a few weeks ago and I had a lot of fun, but racing at Brands must be something special, so I’m looking forward to this weekend.
First I want to improve on qualifying to be able to start in a better position, and I’m going for three out of three Rookie wins. Super excited to go back racing.”
Luke Browning (#11) said:
“I think we had the fastest lap in two out of the three races, it was just unfortunate that we didn’t get to get that win in the first weekend.
I think we maximised the weekend to a certain point, there was only one mistake from my end but I’m really confident because of how the car felt. I can’t wait to get to Brands [Hatch], it’s one of my favourite tracks.
Hopefully we can work our way out of there with the championship lead and start to build a proper title challenge.”
