James Higgins will join Fortec Motorsport for the final two events of the 2022 ROKiT F4 British Championship certified by FIA season.
The 16-year-old joins the Daventry team for their return to the championship which begins with the penultimate event at Silverstone next week (23-25 September), followed by the season finale at Brands Hatch’s GP circuit on 7-9 October.
A promising star in karting, Higgins shifts his focus to single-seaters to front the team’s eagerly-awaited return to the series, Fortec Motorsport having clocked up over 30 race victories in British F4 over the years including the 2020 title.
Higgins enjoyed a competitive spell in Ginetta Juniors across the end of that particular year, continuing in the one-make series last season where he showcased flashes of speed and clinched a fastest lap to his name.
The youngster aims to transfer his partnership with the team into a full-time campaign in British F4, as Fortec Motorsport intend to return to the championship for a full-season assault in 2023.
James Higgins: “I’m really pleased to be joining the ROKiT British F4 grid, and with such a renowned team as Fortec Motorsport. I’ve been fortunate enough to test the car on a number of occasions with the team throughout this year, but there’s no substitute for competitive experience. The ambition is to be back on the grid full-time for 2023, so to get a head start going into the winter is only a benefit to me.
“I’ve gelled really well with the team, and they have such a proven track record for developing drivers. Silverstone is such a fantastic track, and Brands Hatch is a personal favourite of mine with all the elevation changes, so the ingredients are there for us to learn a lot and have some fun.”
Oliver Dutton – Team Manager: “James is a driver with real promise, so it’s fantastic to welcome him formally to the team. We’ve made a lot of progress with him as a driver during testing, so I’m excited to see it all come together in a racing environment. These last two events are as much a learning exercise for 2023 for us as a team, as well as James as a driver. So, there’s a shared objective there, and the aim is just to gather as much experience and information as possible to make sure we’re hitting the ground running over the winter and into next year.”
Image Credits: Jakob Ebrey Photography