- Daventry team amongst the silverware as British F4 title reaches fever pitch.
- Swedish talent Granfors stars in ITV4-televised finale.
- Brands Hatch hosts pivotal title decider on 23-24 October.
Fortec Motorsport scored another podium finish courtesy of Joel Granfors to keep their F4 British Championship certified by FIA – powered by Ford EcoBoost title hopes alive at Donington Park last weekend (9-10 October).
Arriving at the 1.95-mile East Midlands venue with an outside chance at retaining the Drivers’ crown in Britain’s FIA Formula 4 series, a solid points haul for the Swede would be crucial to keep the pressure on at the championship summit with six races left to run.
A grid penalty carried over from the previous event at Silverstone hampered the 15-year-old’s running in the opener, with Granfors doing well to salvage a haul of points in eighth, a position he matched after moving through the field in the reverse grid race.
Starting fourth for the ITV4-televised finale, Granfors held his own in a titanic scrap for the final two spots on the podium, eventually making a move stick on title rival McKenzy Cresswell to annex third, which he duly held to the finish.
His efforts keep him in with an outside chance of taking the Drivers’ crown at Brands Hatch in a fortnight (23-24 October), whilst Fortec could yet seal a maiden Teams’ title, the gap to the current leaders 30 points with three races remaining.
Oliver Dutton, Team Manager said:
“On the surface, this hasn’t been our best weekend, but in many respects, it’s got to be up there for this season.
“It was always going to be a little tough as a single-car outfit; it limits what you can achieve in practice and qualifying, but Joel rose to the challenge admirably.
“A podium finish in the final race is more than just for his efforts over the weekend, and we certainly aren’t giving up with regards to either championship, however remote the chances are. As we discovered to our advantage last year, anything can happen!”
Joel Granfors (#5) said:
“The last race was great fun to drive, and people seemed to enjoy it from the outside, too! It was a cool race with lots going on, good and mostly fair battles all round.
“I was in a pack with four or five cars covered by a second at times. We’ve improved our pace across the weekend and it’s great to end it like this, with a podium, which everyone deserves after a lot of hard work.”
