Gordie Mutch took a clean sweep of wins in Round 6 of the British F4 Esports Championship from Knockhill as championship rival Peter Berryman endured a tough time north of the border.
Round 5 of the British F4 Esports Championship saw JHR by 29 eSports’ Gordie Mutch emerge as a serious challenger to Stormforce Racing ART’s Peter Berryman’s lead in the standings.
The Scotsman secured a win and a third at Silverstone GP, as Berryman’s team-mate Luke McKeown went one better with a first and a second, getting his championship charge properly back on track.
Berryman was therefore under pressure despite a handy lead in the standings, with his Stormforce Racing ART team still dominating the teams’ championship.
With the series moving onto Scotland’s Knockhill – the ‘Laguna Seca of Fife’ – for Round 6, Mutch would be looking to build on his purple patch of form on home ground, something that carried over into qualifying as the Lockerbie man snatched pole position from defending champion McKeown by a couple of hundredths of a second.
Williams Esports’ Moreno Sirica was a creditable third alongside Mutch’s JHR by 29 eSports’ team-mate Stanley Deslandes, with championship leader Berryman despondent down in seventh.
Race 1
The field was surprisingly well-behaved in the opening laps, with the focus on how Berryman could gain places on a circuit with so few overtaking spots. The Northern Irishman found himself in the right place at the right time, however, as Guild Esports’ Remy Gilbert collided with Deslandes at the hairpin.
Berryman hugged the inside line while the gaggle of cars duking it out for fourth position were forced wide, leaving the championship leader free to chase for a podium.
Ahead, McKeown was too aggressive chasing Mutch through the chicane, allowing Sirica into second position in his most competitive showing of the season so far.
However, Sirica soon had his own chicane moment to deal with, allowing another Scotsman, Alexander Davidson, up to third, with Berryman demoted to fourth after his own off-track excursion.
Berryman was soon back ahead though, with the top three – Mutch, McKeown and Berryman – in clear air all the way to the chequered flag. Altus Esports’ Ted Bradbury secured fourth after an entertaining battle with Dörr Esports’ Lucas Müller and Sirica, who finished fifth and sixth respectively.
Race 2
The top six finishers were reversed for the Race 2 grid draw, meaning Sirica would start on pole with Berryman, McKeown and Mutch fourth, fifth and sixth respectively.
Berryman immediately went on the offensive at the start, breezing around the outside of Bradbury at Turn 1 despite light contact. Team-mate McKeown lost out to a charging Mutch in the opening exchanges too, with Sirica and Müller building a gap to the chasing pack.
Instead of Berryman closing down the leaders, Mutch zeroed in on the back of the Stormforce Racing ART car, making short work of the ensuing overtake. Mutch made his way into the lead battle and was soon in genuine contention for a double victory.
Bradbury had Berryman in his sights further behind and launched a bold move at McIntyre. Bradbury made a further aggressive move at the hairpin on Puresims Esports’ Alexander Davidson. Berryman aimed to follow Bradbury through, but Davidson was already attempting the undercut, leading to contact and the effective end of both their races.
Up front, Mutch was now battling for the outright lead, but his patient style – instigated perhaps by knowledge of Berryman’s demise – led to McKeown, Bradbury and Sirca joining Müller in a five-way shootout for victory.
In an astonishing piece of driving, Mutch drover around the outside of McKeown at Duffus Dip. To his credit, McKeown gave his rival ample space to complete the manoeuvre exiting McIntyre, with the pair finishing first and second. Behind, Sirica secured a solid third position for Williams Esports, his first podium since the opening round at Brands Hatch.
It was Mutch’s third win in a row, giving him the Knockhill clean sweep and a 17-point lead in the championship over the unfortunate Berryman.
Can Mutch maintain this form over the final two rounds of the 2023 British F4 Esports Championship? Find out next Wednesday as the races will be broadcast live on RaceSpot TV’s YouTube channel.
UK FF1600 Esports Cup, Round 6
Dan Amor made slight inroads on Henry Moore at Silverstone but once drop scores were taken into consideration Amor still had a proverbial – and literal – hill to climb to reel his season-long rival in.
Moore grabbed pole position for Race 1 at Knockhill, with Jason Cooper alongside him on the front row of the gird, with Amor just behind in third. And that was the order heading into Turn 1 on the first lap too,
The running order was static until around half distance when Cooper and Amor clumsily came together at McIntyre. This allowed Moore to make a break out front, building a four-second gap at the chequered flag. Amor recovered to hold on to second position.
A last-lap incident between Siro Zambra and Jason Cooper saw Cooper spinning onto the infield at Clark, gifting Zambra the final podium position. Cooper held on for sixth.
The reverse grid draw for Race 2 saw Martin Vlk in pole position, with Amor eighth and Moore ninth. It was a terrible start for Vlk, as not only was he slow off the line but he also carried too much speed into Duffus Dip, sending him into the path of the unfortunate Isaac Phelps and into the barriers.
This allowed Moore and Amor into contention, lying in wait as the lead battle between Jason Cooper and Ronnie Smith heated up. Smith was passed by Moore, before allowing his Alpha team-mate Amor through into third.
Cooper still led, holding off the advances of Moore admirably, who in turn was under intense pressure from Amor. On the penultimate lap, however, Cooper aggressively defended his position from Moore heading towards McIntyre, which allowed Amor through into the lead, giving him renewed hope of challenging Moore in the championship.
However, Amor fluffed his lines at the chicane, which allowed Moore and Cooper through on the final lap. Smith did all he could for his team-mate by offering him a consolatory podium.
British F4 Esports Championship, Round 6 Knockhill Race 1 results
British F4 Esports Championship, Round 6 Knockhill Race 2 results
Driver standings after Round 6
Team standings after Round 6
Calendar: British F4 Esports Championship 2023
Media Day, Silverstone National, 20th September
Round 1, Brands Hatch Indy, 27th September
Round 2, Donington National, 4th October
Round 3, Snetterton 300, 11th October
Round 4, Oulton Park International, 25th October
Round 5, Silverstone GP, 8th November
Round 6, Knockhill, 15th November
Round 7, Donington GP, 22nd November
Round 8, Brands Hatch GP, 29th November
Images courtesy of Rhys Caryl / RC Sim Photography.
