In a tense and critical qualifying session for the ROKiT British F4 championship contenders, series leader Louis Sharp (Rodin Carlin) of New Zealand prevailed. Local driver, Deagen Fairclough (JHR) from Crawley – vying for third in the season standings – claimed an early provisional pole, with Will Macintyre (Hitech Pulse-Eight)briefly topping the times before Fairclough grabbed it back.
A red flag, with five minutes of the session remaining, then led to a dramatic shootout finale – Sharp successfully making his charge for the coveted Omologato Pole Position, and a crucial early weekend advantage with a lap of 1:24.130. One lap remained for Macintyre to challenge, however the Englishman fell short by 0.211 seconds with Fairclough splitting the two.
Sharp’s double pole position was critical, not just for position on track, but the additional two championship points. In the process, Sharp also claimed his second Omologato Pole Position Award and received his reward of the red Tifosi Fiorano watch.
In the Rookie’s Cup, Gabriel Stilp (Hitech Pulse-Eight) was behind his rival Gustav Jonsson (CDR) for the majority of the session, pipping Jonsson by just 0.137 to take track advantage and seventh on the time sheet compared to Jonsson in tenth.
Louis Sharp converted his pole to his victory with an assured lights to flag performance. Behind, Deagen Fairclough pushed hard, particularly two laps after a safety car intervention to recover a stranded Kai Daryanani (Virtuosi Racing), when an off-track excursion nearly resulted in disaster. Fairclough somehow recovered, continuing to hold off a determined Macintyre and continued to exchange fastest lap with Sharp. Fairclough managed to take the accolade on the last lap and claimed the Motul Fastest Lap award and the additional championship point, as well as his seventh podium of the year. Macintyre claimed the remaining podium place and now sits 13 points behind Sharp in the championship standings.
In the Rookie Cup battle, an issue for Stilp and a class win for Jonsson widened the gap to 35 points with a maximum of 50 points remaining per driver in tomorrow’s two races. Josh Irfan (Rodin Carlin) and Isaac Barashi (Argenti Motorsport) completed the Rookie podium.
