The final day of the 2024 ROKiT British F4 Championship certified by the FIA has been played out in mixed weather conditions at a packed Brands Hatch GP circuit in Kent. 2024 Champion Deagen Fairclough and Vice Champion Alex Ninovic each took a win apiece to round out their campaigns.
Alongside today’s race proceedings, there were two championships still unresolved and to be fought over to crown more champions. Martin Molnar of Virtuosi Racing was ultimately crowned the Rookie Cup Champion after a close battle with Phinsys by Argenti’s driver Yuanpu Cui. Hitech Pulse-Eight were awarded the Teams’ Cup ahead of Rodin Motorsport and JHR Developments.
In Race 2 of the Brands Hatch weekend, JHR Developments driver Ella Lloyd started from pole for Sunday’s reverse top 12 race, with Rowan Campbell-Pilling (Phinsys by Argenti) alongside her on the front row. Abbi Pulling (Rodin Motorsport) started in third, with Martin Molnar, Zack Scoular (Xcel Motorsport) and Jack Sherwood (Rodin Motorsport) making up the front six positions on the grid.
It was fast-starting Ella Lloyd who led the field into turn one, ahead of Campbell-Pilling (Phinsys by Argenti) and Sherwood. Sherwood and Rodin Motorsport teammate Alex Ninovic proved the biggest movers on the first lap with Ninovic working his way past Martin Molnar to get inside the top four.
Sherwood’s pace was evident from early-on, successfully wrestling the lead from Lloyd on the second lap. While Sherwood worked on extending his lead, Ninovic battled and secured second place from Lloyd.
In what was looking to be Jack Sherwood’s first victory of the year, he suffered a high-speed and dramatic mechanical failure pitching his car end over end on the GP loop, which bought out a red flag. Thankfully Sherwood climbed from his car, a testament to the strength and safety of his Tatuus chassis. The race was subsequently not restarted, awarding drivers half championship points.
Thus, Alex Ninovic claimed his fifth win of the season with Ella Lloyd in second place, while Martin Molnar took third on the main podium and first place on the Rookie Cup podium. Abbi Pulling and Deagen Fairclough (Hitech Pulse-Eight) made up the top five in the first race of the day.
Zack Scoular and Rowan Campbell-Pilling joined Molnar on the Rookie Cup podium, finishing in second and third respectively.
A jubilant Hitech Pulse-Eight had secured enough points in the race to secure the Teams’ Cup crown for 2024.
The Rookie Cup title remained open going into the final race of the season, while in the main Drivers’ Championship there was still business to be settled in the battle for third in the championship between Rodin Motorsport’s James Higgins and Hitech Pulse-Eight’s Reza Seewooruthun; the pair being separated by just 2.5 points.
For the final time in 2024, Deagen Fairclough lined up from pole position alongside teammate Reza Seewooruthun, with JHR Development’s Leo Robinson and Rodin’s James Higgins making up row two. Alex Ninovic lined up fifth with Bart Harrison (Chris Dittmann Racing) in sixth.
As the field rolled out for the formation lap the weather took a turn, with light drizzle becoming more persistent rain and track conditions deteriorating and threatening an added challenge for the field, almost all of whom were starting on slick Pirelli tyres.
After a lap of racing a red flag was brought out as the weather was worsening rapidly. This saw the whole field return to the pits, with the opportunity to swap to the wet tyre for a full restart.
Zack Scoular and Alex Berg both gambled and opted to stick with the slick tyre, hoping the circuit was going to dry quickly in the course of the race.
It was Deagen Fairclough who once again led the field into turn one for the second attempt at the final race of the season. Leo Robinson moved past Reza Seewooruthun to slot into second place. Bart Harrison and Alex Ninovic fought for position, swapping places multiple times, however it was Ninovic who made his pass stick around the outside of Paddock Hill corner for fourth place.
Rookie Cup championship contenders Martin Molnar and Yuanpu Cui (Phinsys by Argenti) found themselves on track together in eighth and ninth overall, before a safety car was dispatched after Yuhao Fu (Virtuosi Racing) and August Raber (Xcel Motorsport) found the gravel trap in separate incidents on the same lap.
Deagen Fairclough’s 6.4 second lead was condensed and the field was bunched for a three-minute dash to the chequered flag when the Safety Car pulled into the pits.
Fairclough crossed the line to claim his 14th win of the season, smashing the previous in-season record of 11 wins. Leo Robinson collected a third podium of the weekend, finishing in second and Alex Ninovic managed to edge out Reza Seewooruthun to finish in third.
Yuanpu Cui took the final Rookie Cup win of the year, his ninth of the season. Thomas Bearman finished second with Rowan Campbell-Pilling in third.
Fortec’s Alex Berg was awarded the weekend’s Pirelli Hardest Charger Award for the most overtakes across Races 1 and 3, earning a set of Pirelli P-Zero tyres for testing.
The Motul Fastest Lap Awards were secured by Deagen Fairclough and Jack Sherwood for each of races two and three; each driver earning themselves an extra point towards the overall championship.
This concluded the 2024 ROKiT British F4 championship, one that had seen new champions created, record grids, record participation, a new overseas track added to the championship, history created with a first female winner in Abbi Pulling and records tumble for Deagen Fairclough’s in-season race win record. It has been an incredible championship evidenced by fantastic battles and rivalries with high quality, respectful racing. Already the championship and its teams are looking towards 2025 with excitement and anticipation as to what that can bring to build on 2024!
