British F4 – Snetterton, Rd.6

3/4 August 2019

Friday testing consisted of two 45 minute free practice sessions where we had time to try a few different setups on the car. FP1 we were really quick at the start on the old tyres, but once we came in for the new tyre run we struggled with the set up and only managed to post a time quick enough for P7.

We had time to go through things and evaluate what was wrong, and made adjustments to the setup for FP2. Once again we were really quick at the start of the session posting the quickest times, then we came in for the new tyre run and posted a time which placed us at P6, but, it was really close so we were pretty happy with how this session had went.

Qualifying & Race 1:
Saturday we had qualifying and Race 1. We went out for qualifying and I really struggled with the car and oversteer, just couldn’t get the tyre to work and produce a fast time. I managed P7 at the end of the session so I would start Races 1 & 3 from 7th on the grid. The aim for Race 1 was to make up as many places as possible for Race 2. I got a good start and got straight up to 6th which I held to the flag. We were really struggling for pace, finding it challenging to get the car set. However, this meant I would start reverse grid Pole for Race 2.

Race 2:
Sunday and Race 2 from Pole. I lead the first 4 laps of the race but was having to defend hard as I was struggling for pace early on. I dropped back to 3rd after a driver made a ambitious move on me which didn’t pay off, and me taking avoiding action. I then re-gathered, and chased down the gap to 2nd – which was a pretty big margin – closing it down on the very last lap and managed to get along side down the last straight, but I didn’t quite get past which meant crossing the line P3 (later promoted to P2) and taking fastest lap.

Race 3:
Starting from 7th, getting a really good start, I was up to P5 by the first corner. I focussed on the pack in front and managed to close them down. There was a battle for the entire race from 2nd to 6th. I managed to get myself up to P3 with around 8 minutes to go, and then I put P2 under pressure but just couldn’t quite get past. Another photo finish confirming a P3 place by the end.

Overall it was a very productive weekend, coming away with another two podiums and a good haul of championship points. I currently sit 5th in the standings heading into the next round at Thruxton. I would like to thank JHR Developments and everyone who is helping me in the British F4 Championship.

Remaining 2019 Calendar:
19,20,21 Sat 17/Sun 18 August Thruxton, Hampshire
22,23,24 Sat 14/Sun 15 September Knockhill, Fife
25,26,27 Sat 28/Sun 29 September Silverstone, Northants
28,29,30 Sat 12/Sun 13 October Brands Hatch (Grand Prix), Kent

British F4 – Oulton Park, Rd.5

29/30 June 2019

Friday set off really well in FP1, we topped the times, working well as a team and starting off really positive having a good car from the start. We still had some other things to test heading into FP2 but we were confident with how the weekend had got underway. FP2 started in a similar way by topping the times for most of the session and looking very strong and consistent, which bode well for the races. Eventually ending the session in P3 a tenth of a second off, we were really happy with how the day went and I was pleased with the car set up heading into qualifying on Saturday morning.

Qualifying:
Saturday qualifying got underway early in the morning. I was looking forward on getting my head down and trying to produce some fast laps to get up the grid for races 1 and 3. For the majority of the session we were sitting in P1, but with 5 minutess to go Zane Maloney managed to put a quick time in which dropped my down to P2. This is where we ended the session, and we had qualified P2 for Race 3. We were very pleased with this result and were looking good heading into the races.one else involved.

Race 1:
We got off the line well and held our position, and this was how it was for the rest of the race, I put my head down and focused on trying to catch Maloney, but the gap stayed the same for the majority of the race as he had an advantage of using his two new lefts where as I kept mine for Race 3. I crossed the line in P2 equalling my best finish in F4. It felt good to be back on the podium.

Race 2:
I would start in P5 due to the partially reverse grid, but we had problems in the holding area and the car wouldn’t fire up due to a fuel pump failure. This meant in a DNS. I was massively disappointed after this as I fell there was definitely another podium on the cards.

Race 3:
I would start off P2 again and with the two new left tyres I was hungry for the first win. I got off to a good start and held P2 around the first corner but then the safety car came out on lap 2. We were under safety car for over half the race which hurt our chances of winning the race as there was less time to actually race for position. When the race restarted Maloney got away. I managed to take time out of him and closed the gap up by the end of the race, taking the fastest lap. We ended P2.

Overall I am really happy with the weekend we have taken massive steps forward as a team, scored some valuable points and managed to come away with two podiums. Now we have the summer break and will be back at Snetterton for Round 6 in a few weeks time. I would like to say a massive thank you to everyone at JHR Developments for all their hard work, and everyone else involved.

British F4 – Thruxton, Rd.3

18/19 May 2019

Having had the two free practice sessions over a month prior to the race weekend – where we showed some good speed – we were pretty confident heading straight into qualifying.

Qualifying:
Heading out we were looking strong on our first flying lap, but coming to the end of it I found a mechanical problem with the car which lost us a huge chunk of time. Pitting to sort out the problem therefore, lost us most of the session time. I went out with only four minutes remaining, meaning I only had the chance to produce two flying laps, so both of which would matter. The laps managed placed us 5th and 6th on the grid for race 1 and 3. I was disappointed with this result as the potential for a whole lot more was definitely there, but on the other hand I made the best out of the situation we had.

Race 1:
I dropped back to 6th off the start but made up a place towards the end of the first lap. I put my head down and managed to catch the leading pack and made a few moves throughout the race to get up to P3. I fight hard to defend the position on the last two laps of the race to bring the car home in P3 and finish on the podium.

Race 2:
Getting boxed in a the start and dropped down to P6, but managed to make my way up to P4 before a car with damage in front got in the way which killed our momentum and lost me two places. Making one place back up I managed to catch the car in front and battled hard on the last few laps of the race making some good moves that didn’t quite pay off, finally ending the race in P5. I was a little frustrated with the result in this race because I think there was much more to be had.

Race 3:
Start P6. After a bad start I was down to P8 on the opening lap but quickly regathered and was back up to P6 quickly. I put my head down and showed some really good speed and managed to catch the driver in front and take P5. This then left me with a big gap to close down to the next car, which I nearly but had a mechanical issue which hindered our cars performance, so I was unable to catch him, so it would be another P5 finish.

Overall it was a strong weekend scoring some solid points but there could have been more to be had. I’m now looking forward to the next race at Croft in four weeks time. I would like to thank JHR Developments and everyone else involved for all their help.

British F4 – Donington Rd.2

27/28 April 2019

Having had a disappointing first round at Brands Hatch where the speed was there but the results weren’t, we knew we had to put things together for the second round and gain as many points as we possibly could.

FP1: The first practice was dry and we got off to a good start being the quickest before coming in halfway through the session for new tyres, then on the new tyre run being 4th which was promising.

FP2: We got hit by a thunderstorm just before heading out onto the track. Having missed out most of the session changing the set up, we only got a couple of laps but ended the session P5. I didn’t feel the car was at its best and had some time to find in the wet conditions for qualifying.

Qualifying: The session was wet and with a number of red flags we didn’t get very many laps. I only managed P7 and P6 in qualifying for races 1 & 3. This meant I was going to have to put my head down in the races. I didn’t feel comfortable with the car struggling with lots of traction.

Race 1: Starting P7 I got a good start and was up to 5th by the end of the first lap, then at the end of the second lap I made a move down the inside into the first corner whilst we were four a breast. This paid off and I had a little gap back to second place. Halfway through the race second place started to catch, and with around 5 minutes to go he got past. I managed to hold on to second place. We didn’t expect the track to be as dry as it was so the car went off mid-race but I am very happy with this result, and considering where we started it was a great way to kick off the weekend.

Race 2: I was starting 5th but I made a massive mistake and jumped the start and then stalled which dropped me down to the back of the field. 2 laps into the race I was up to P9 but the race was red flagged and this put me to the back of the grid for the restart. I just had to put my head down and make as many places up as possible. I ended the race in P7 making the most out of a poor situation which was entirely my fault.

Race 3: Starting P6 I had my eyes set on another podium. Another good start and on the opening lap I was in P4 at the end of lap one. Then the safety car came out which left us with only 10 minutes of the race remaining. Soon after the safety car restart, I managed to get to P3 heading down the leaders. With around 5 laps to go I got through in 2nd and down the back straight went for a move to the lead which didn’t pay off, killing my exit of the corner which set me back to P5, ultimately ending the race in P4.

Overall I am very pleased about the weekend taking my first outright podium and gaining good points in the championship. I would like to say a massive thanks to JHR Developments for all their hard work and giving me a fantastic car, and to everyone involved.

Next up, Round 3 at Thruxton, on the 18/19 May.

Josh’s difficult start

6/7 April 2019

JHR Developments’ Josh Skelton experienced setup and tyre choice difficulties in the season opener, but is confident for a stronger set of results at the next triple-header at Donington Park on the 27th-28th April.

“It was a frustrating first race of the season. I qualified P8 – there was much more potential, but I couldn’t get the car set right,” explained Skelton. The wet conditions for race one and a wrong decision on tyres meant we had a lack of grip. I was happy with my driving and knew the speed was there though. We got off to a good start in race two and were showing really good speed. Going for a move for fourth though, we made contact and picked up damage which meant a DNF. Race three we were looking very quick on the opening laps, but we got contact from another driver resulting in damage and had to pit. Once we back on track we were amongst the quickest, even with damage, so we’re looking to the next one at Donington Park.”

Josh Skelton and JHR quickest in morning Media Day test session

13 March 2019

Series returnee Josh Skelton put his experience to good use and finished the morning test session at the F4 British Championship certified by FIA – powered by Ford EcoBoost Media Day quickest for JHR Developments. Skelton clocked his best time – a 46.243s – on the 56th of his 71 laps around the 1.19-mile Indy circuit, edging out fellow second-year driver Sebastian Alvarez (Double R Racing) by a mere 0.093 seconds.

The session presented drivers with changeable conditions, with intermittent drops of rain and dry, sunny conditions the order of the day thus far. Nevertheless, the 12-car field completed over 1,000 laps – and over 1,260 miles – between them as the drivers get invaluable mileage ahead of the opening rounds back at Brands Hatch on 6th-7th April.

Just 0.009 seconds split two of this season’s newcomers, Carlin’s Zane Maloney and Arden Motorsport’s Alex Connor, in third and fourth respectively, with the duo also ranked as the quickest Rookie Cup entries over the three-and-a-half hours of running. Ginetta Junior graduates Louis Foster and Luke Browning were fifth and sixth for Double R and Richardson Racing respectively, the former having led the order at the halfway point of the session. The other two Arden cars of Bart Horsten and Tommy Foster sandwiched JHR’s Carter Williams in seventh, eighth and ninth, whilst Roberto Faria led the line for Fortec Motorsport in rounding out the top ten. Mariano Martinez – the latest name to join Ford’s winning formula for 2019 – was eleventh for Fortec, with Double R’s Reema Juffali in twelfth.

Session Result
Pos. Driver Team Time
1 Josh SKELTON JHR Developments 46.243s
2 Sebastian ALVAREZ Double R Racing +0.093s
3 Zane MALONEY (R) Carlin +0.278s
4 Alex CONNOR (R) Arden Motorsport +0.287s
5 Louis FOSTER Double R Racing +0.338s
6 Luke BROWNING Richardson Racing +0.377s
7 Bart HORSTEN Arden Motorsport +0.387s
8 Carter WILLIAMS JHR Developments +0.550s
9 Tommy FOSTER Arden Motorsport +0.704s
10 Roberto FARIA Fortec Motorsport +0.791s
11 Mariano MARTINEZ Fortec Motorsport +1.501s
12 Reema JUFFALI Double R Racing +2.210s