Autosport – 22 August 2019

TOCA SUPPORTS THRUXTON 17-18 AUGUST

O’Sullivan (right) and

Martin were inseparable

throughout race three

Williams held off Skelton

to take second win

It was a difficult event

for points leader Maloney

72 AUTOSPORT.COM 22 AUGUST 2019

CLUB AUTOSPORT NATIONAL REPORTS

BRITISH FORMULA 4

There was no stopping JHR at Thruxton

as the squad’s drivers won all three

British Formula 4 races.

The first and third encounters followed

a similar pattern as Carter Williams got

ahead of polesitter Luke Browning at the

start and powered into a lead he wasn’t

to lose; race one was the American’s

maiden victory in the series.

He finished well clear of Sebastian

Alvarez in race one, but the third contest

ended in a close finish as JHR team-mate

Josh Skelton was right on his tail, though

Williams clung on to win. “It’s been mega

from the start – the momentum is strong

with us right now,” said Williams.

While Williams was delighted, Browning

lamented engine troubles that caused him

to drop back down the order.

GINETTA JUNIOR

Zak O’Sullivan and Will Martin started

the Ginetta Junior finale side by side.

And it was a sign of what was to come

because the duo were inseparable

throughout a cracking race.

Martin emerged ahead into the

complex on the opening tour but the pair

then spent the first nine laps scrapping

relentlessly – and frequently banging

doors up Woodham Hill. And matters

came to a head on lap 10 of 12.

Martin and O’Sullivan provide

a doorbanging Ginetta thriller

It’s Carter the unstoppable speed machine

been involved in and added: “Coming into

the first corner I just got a run and he

edged me off and I went straight on.”

But O’Sullivan was disappointed about

how Martin got ahead: “It was close and

controversial. It was such a good race

until Will tried a very ambitious move.

He lost his bumper on the grass and he

had a big advantage as he had less drag.”

Title leader James Hedley should have

been part of that fight for the win, but his

Elite Motorsport car stopped on lap four

with a major gearbox issue, diminishing

his large points advantage to 50. “I went

down to change gear and heard a massive

explosion in the car,” he explained.

Hedley had won the weekend’s opening

race, making the decisive move on Gus

Burton at Church. He was part of another

tussle with Martin and O’Sullivan in race

two, but that time it was O’Sullivan who

triumphed from Martin and Hedley.

Another driver who was part of the

lead fight in the opener was Lorcan

Hanafin. The Douglas Motorsport racer

ended his podium drought with third

behind Hedley and O’Sullivan. But race

two didn’t go so well as he was involved

in a five-car incident that caused a red

flag. “I was turned round into the second

part of the complex, and facing everyone

while stationary was a bit scary,”

admitted Hanafin. “Three people

hit me and there’s a lot of damage.”

But Hanafin bounced back with a

podium in race three. He surged from

17th on the grid to grab fourth, and

inherited third when team-mate

Burton was penalised for contact.

STEPHEN LICKORISH

Martin attempted to pass his rival at

Allard but was squeezed onto the grass on

the inside exiting the corner. Remarkably,

Martin kept control as he bounced across

the muddy terrain and rejoined just behind

O’Sullivan. Then he passed O’Sullivan

at Church. It was an incredible recovery

but it still wasn’t over. On the final lap the

R Racing car of O’Sullivan charged ahead

at Church, only for Martin to outdrag him

out of the corner and secure the win.

Richardson Racing driver Martin

described it as the most intense race he’d

Also dropping back was Zane Maloney.

Although the polesitter crossed the line

first in race two, he was given a 10-second

penalty for being out of position at the

start, which dropped him to fifth – this

was his second penalty of the weekend

after exceeding track limits in the opener.

Maloney’s indiscretion meant second-

placed Tommy Foster had been on course

to inherit the win. But Skelton launched

a last-lap bid around the outside of the

chicane, which led to both of them cutting

the corner, and Skelton sneaked ahead to

make it a JHR clean sweep.

With Maloney only finishing sixth in

the finale, the Carlin driver’s advantage over

Alvarez has been cut from 54 points to 37.

STEPHEN LICKORISH

ALL PICS: JEP