British F4 2018 – Croft Rd.5

23/24 June 2018

On Friday we had two 50 minute test sessions so we would be able to assess our speed heading into Saturday’s qualifying.

Session 1 on Friday didn’t go to plan as we went out on track. We set off struggling with the car set up and also gear shifting problems. We ended the session in a disappointing P12, but knew which areas we had to work on for Session 2. In session two we had fixed the gear shifting issues and the speed was looking good, we would end the session in P7 which we were happy with. We still didn’t have the best of car set ups as we were struggling with over-steer, but we knew we would have to work hard overnight to improve things further. Saturday would consist of the 20 minute qualifying session and also the first of three 20 minute races. Qualifying saw us finish in P7 which we were pleased with, and knew we had good race speed heading into the first race of the weekend.

After a reasonable start to the Race I found myself in P7 for much of the duration, but closing in on P6. With a few minutes left on the clock we rapidly closed in and on the last two laps tried an attack for the sixth place slot. We came very close to getting past but ultimately had to settle for P7. It was a shame we couldn’t find a way past as it would have been a reverse grid pole for Race 2. We finished as 3rd rookie.

Race 2 on Sunday. We made a fast getaway from P7 and gained two places on the opening lap. I had good battles throughout the race with several drivers, and at the chequered flag secured P5, which was another good results and points scoring finish.

Race 3 saw us once again start from P7. We were up into be P6 at half race distance, but contact to the rear wheel from behind would leave us with damage to the car and a subsequent DNF, which was disappointing as we were on for another solid points finish.

Overall we are very happy with how the weekend went. There were improvements with our set up and speed, and happy with the points finishes. I would like to say a big thankyou to JHR Developments and everyone else involved. We now have a 5 week summer break before we are back out for Round 6 at Snetterton.

British F4 2018 – Oulton Park Rd.4

9/10 June 2018

Friday we had the two 50 minute practice sessions. In the first session we set off looking good showing some good pace but we didn’t have a new set of tyres to go on in the second half of the session, so we dropped down the field to P11. In the second session we struggled to begin with but at the hallway point we went onto new tyres and were showing good speed and consistency securing P8 for most of the session, before finally ending up in P10 on the last lap.

Saturday we had qualifying and Race 1. We knew where we had to improve going into qualifying to gain time, but we didn’t manage to do this. We struggled with the car setup and didn’t get a good lap together, ending the session in P12. This meant the racing was gonna be difficult as it was proving to be very hard to overtake around the track. Race 1 would see me get a good start and immediately get into P11, but we did not have the speed to make up any more ground. We worked hard with the team however, analysing data, and where we could improve the car ready for the two races on Sunday.

Race 2 on Sunday we got an OK start, and near the beginning of the race moved up into P10. We would fight hard for the full race battling to try and make a move to P9 but we could not find a way through. I would cross the line in P10 but would drop to P11 after the race, as we were awarded a 10 second penalty for a jump start.

Race 3 would see me start back in P12 once again. Another driver had a collision around the first corner causing me to run wide to avoid hitting him, this meant I was a good distance behind the rest of the field. After a few laps we caught a few drivers up and made some moves to get myself up to P9. We were setting good times throughout the race and the speed was there, but the rest of the field had too big of a gap to catch, and in the end we had to settle for P9.

Overall we had a very tough weekend, but are looking forward to the next one at Croft in two weeks time where we are hoping for some better results. I would like to say a big thanks to JHR Developments and everyone else involved.

British F4 2018 – Thruxton Rd.3

19/20 May 2018

Friday brought a 1 hour 30 minutes test session where we found ourselves off to a quick start, sitting in p5 on the timing board for the first 40 minutes of the session. A visit to the pits to make a few changes to the car followed, but we could not improve further falling down the order to P11 before our last stint. We went out on New tyres were fitted for the last 15 minutes resulting in an improvement to p8 before having a ‘moment’ which ended up hitting the wall head on but the car wasn’t to badly damaged.

Qualifying on Saturday morning was a bit disappointing as we knew we had the speed to get a good result, and therefore be in a strong position to start the races. We adopted the wrong strategy which resulted in not getting the best time possible, and would start races 1 and 3 from 12th on the grid respectively.

British F4 2018 – Donington Rd.2

28/29 April 2018

We headed to the second round of the F4 British Championship certified by FIA – powered by Ford EcoBoost at Donington Park, looking forward on the weekend ahead and gaining more valuable experience.

We had been there for the official Monday test, and our speed looked promising ending the day 8th quickest overall, which we were very happy with. We turned up at the track for the test day on Thursday knowing where we needed to improve to make us quicker. Thursday would consist of two 45 minute test sessions, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. In the morning session we were very pleased with our speed and result, we ended the session P6. The car felt very good and I was really happy with how we were going. In the afternoon session we would end up in P10, but were still really happy with this because of how close the times were, and we were looking good going into qualifying on Saturday morning.

Saturday we were ready for qualifying but there was a change in the weather, it was no longer dry having rained overnight and the track was really wet. We went out in qualifying and give it everything we had, but it was difficult for all to get the tyres to come on. As a result it wasn’t until the last few laps when I felt I could push the car to the full. We ended up qualifying P8 for race one and P6 for race 3.

Race 1: Saturday afternoon with a wet track. The race didn’t start well following contact from a competitor on the first corner, which spun us around and left us facing the wrong way. Subsequent damage to the car meant it was hard for us to catch up with the pack. We made up a few places by the end of the race which secured P11 by the flag. This is were we would start on the grid for race 2 on Sunday morning.

Race 2: The track was dry and very welcome. We were looking forward to seeing what we could do coming through the field. We didn’t get off to the best of starts dropping to the back of the field, but made our way back to P10 by the end of the race, scoring valuable points.

Josh is now lying in 3rd position in the Championship’s Rookie Cup.

Race 3: Sunday afternoon, saw us starting from 6th on the grid. After making a good start halfway around the first lap two drivers made contact spinning immediately in front of myself. This left me nowhere to go but to take to the grass which would leave me at the back of the pack. The safety car was called upon, bunching up the field. We were left with around 8 minutes to try to battle our way forward, managing to secure a well earned 8th considering the earlier incident, and scoring a rookie podium by finishing second rookie on track.

Overall we are very happy with the speed we are showing in these early stages, and we know what we need to work on in the coming rounds. I would like to say a huge thank you top JHR Developments for providing me with a mega car all weekend, and to everyone involved in helping me along the way.

The next race is at the rapid Thruxton circuit in two weeks time.

Josh is now lying in 3rd position in the Championship’s Rookie Cup.

British F4 2018 – Brands Hatch Rd.1

7/8 April 2018

Having never been to the Brands Hatch circuit, or indeed competed in a car race in my life, we turned up to the circuit for the first round of the British F4 championship with no expectations.

Wednesday was the first day on track with an open test day. We worked well with the team on learning the circuit, with the set up for the car becoming closer and closer every session. By the end of the day we had very good speed and were feeling very confident out on track in the car, and looking forward to the oncoming weekend.

Friday was the start of my British F4 debut starting with two 45 minute official test sessions. We would place 11th and 10th quickest, but our race pace was looking really good having put in very consistent lap times, and which bode well going into the races. It is very helpful working with my two team mates (Ayrton Simmons and Manuel Sulaiman), who have previous experience in the British F4 category and to help learn off them with the data.

Saturday would be my first ever qualifying session in the car, and one which would take place in very tricky conditions on a damp track, albeit drying with every lap. We would go out on the slick tyres and as the track improved so the times started to drop. I felt more and more confident in the car and was up to P4 with around two minutes left to go. I then dropped down to P9 in the later stages but this was still very good. I was pleased with this performance and knew we had more to come in the three races coming up.

Race 1 would see me start in P9. However, following a very bad start and dropping down to the back of the field, meant having to get my head down and try make up as many places as possible. I managed to make my way back to 12th which I was a little disappointed with. Race 2 Starting P12, and another bad start meaning lots of work to do again. Making a few overtakes I was up to P8 at one point but a slight contact with another competitor meant in dropping back to P11 and 3rd rookie.

For the live TV race on Sunday afternoon we would start on P7 in tricky, drying conditions once again. Again not having the best of starts, we dropped back to around P9, but having very good pace in the drying conditions we made our way up to P5, taking 2nd rookie this time around.

We have had a very good strong first race weekend in cars, and still have lots to work on. Hopefully we can now build upon this experience and become much stronger over the coming rounds.

I would like to say a massive thank you to JHR Developments for their amazing work over the weekend, and making the car the best they possibly could for each race. I would also like to say a big thank you to everyone else involved, all efforts are genuinely appreciated.

The next round will be at Donington Park in two weeks time, I’m looking forward to it and aiming for another strong weekend of racing.

European karting star Josh Skelton joins British F4

18 March 2018

17-year-old European karting star Josh Skelton from Dearham, Cumbria is the latest driver is to enter the F4 British Championship certified by FIA – powered by Ford EcoBoost as part of a stellar line up at JHR Developments.

The European Rotax Max and British Super One driver is targeting rookie honours in his first season of car racing. Said Skelton: “I am delighted to join JHR Developments for 2018. They have an incredible record of getting the best from young drivers and helping them achieve a high level of success.

“I know that Ayrton, Manuel and I will work well together and I hope to repay the faith placed in me by my sponsors Alpine Stars, Skelton Joinery and BJ Human Performance by bringing home some great results.”

Added JHR Developments team principal Steven Hunter: “We are absolutely delighted to attract such a talented driver in the form of Josh. It is a real coup for the team. Whilst he will be a rookie and need to learn the circuits, he has already shown us that he has an exceptional ability to learn quickly. We fully expect him to be at the sharp end of the grid soon.”

The 2018 F4 British Championship campaign gets underway at Brands Hatch over the weekend of 7/8 of April before moving on to Donington Park on 28/29 April.

http://fiaformula4.com/european-karting-star-josh-skelton-joins-british-f4/?tr=1256&sr=