It was a superb weekend for the Hitech GP team at our home race as we netted a double 1-2 finish in the latest rounds of the British Formula 4 Championship. Deagen Fairclough won from Reza Seewooruthun in race one at Silverstone – with the positions reversed on Sunday for race three.
There was very little to separate our two stars, as they locked out the front row of the grid and in each race commandingly pulled out a decent lead over the rest of the opposition. The only downside was a retirement for Deagen in the partially reversed grid race on Sunday morning, which was dominated by the Safety Car.
But the weekend started perfectly for Deagen, who claimed pole in race one, won his fifth British F4 race of the year, led every lap – and also took the fastest lap. Deagen headed the 23-car field at the Silverstone circuit from the start, which was soon neutralised by the Safety Car. At the restart (on lap four) Deagen managed the gap to Reza behind and crossed the line 4.7 seconds ahead of his team-mate.
The final race of the British F4 weekend, followed an almost identical pattern. Reza led away, the Safety Car was deployed early on, then was withdrawn at the start of lap four. This time around it was Reza who led every lap, claimed the fastest lap and took the chequered flag 1.7s ahead of Deagen.
“I’m over the moon!” said Reza after scoring his second win of the season and following on from his triumph at Thruxton last weekend. “It’s Father’s Day, it’s also my Dad’s birthday weekend, so this was a perfect present for him. It’s also Hitech GP’s home track – so it’s a triple whammy for us all.”
Deagen’s fifth victory of the year on Saturday, as well as his second place in race three, extends his points lead as the series reaches the half-way stage of the season.
“Well done to Reza, I wanted that first place as obviously it’s Father’s Day and that was going to be my present to him but Reza’s Dad’s got it today,” said Deagen after race three. “This was a good points haul for me and the Hitech GP team. Obviously you can see the car is fast with two 1-2 finishes. I want to say a big thank you to everyone in the team. Everyone’s so happy and it’s great to see.
“If I stay consistent by finishing in the top five in the main race each weekend in the rest of the rounds and try and get points in the reverse grid race, it will be crucial in the long run,” added the championship leader.
Deagen failed to finish race two of the weekend, after he was accidentally taken out by another competitor heading through Becketts on the opening lap of the race. Reza finished eighth in that 20-minute encounter, one place ahead of Mika Abrahams. It was a tricky weekend for the South African racer, who finished tenth in race one, but was forced to pit behind the Safety Car in race three. He fell to the tail of the field but recovered to take 14th at the flag.
