After a weekend beset by stormy weather, Deagen Fairclough left Snetterton with two third-place finishes and a healthy 34-point lead at the top of the British Formula 4 Championship standings. But it was a dramatic two days at the Norfolk track which was hit by a torrential downpour that led to an early stoppage in the final race of the weekend.
On Saturday, drivers had to contend with a wet qualifying session and a damp circuit for round seven and Deagen made a superb start to launch from fifth on the grid and slot into third early on. It was a position he held for the remainder of the race. Sadly, Mika Abrahams was stranded in the opening race on the track at Coram – which necessitated a Safety Car – while Reza Seewooruthun finished fifth after starting ninth on the grid.
The points leader made another strong start in Sunday morning’s wet race. From eighth on the reverse grid he had risen to fifth at half distance. Deagen then managed to avoid the mayhem around him and overtook HitechGP team-mate Mika Abrahams to claim the final spot on the podium. Sadly, Mika was taken out at the final corner on the penultimate lap, while Reza survived a first-lap spin to take tenth at the flag.
The final race of the weekend started in the dry, with everyone on slicks, but was brought to a premature halt when a sudden rain storm struck the Snetterton track. Starting second, Deagen made an excellent start and was instantly challenging for the top spot. When the race leader ran off the track, Deagen went for an overtake but the 18-year-old was then squeezed onto the wet grass. With no traction, he speared into the advertising hoardings which broke his rear wing.
Forced to pit for repairs under darkening skies, Deagen re-emerged onto the Snetterton circuit to claim a bonus point for fastest lap, just before the heavens opened. With cars skating off the soaking wet track, the red flag appeared to bring round nine of the championship to an early end. Reza was classified fifth and Mika eighth.
Reza leaves Snetterton sixth overall, having picked up 15 points over the weekend – just one place in the standings ahead of Mika, who sits on 49 points. Meanwhile Deagen has a 34-point lead in the drivers’ championship. The next British F4 rounds take place at the high-speed Thruxton race track on June 8-9.
