Carlin’s Ugo Ugochukwu believes the ROKiT F4 British Championship certified by FIA is set for a grandstand finish to the 2022 season after taking another stride towards points leader Alex Dunne at Knockhill.
The McLaren junior was in blistering form north of the Scottish border, scoring his second Omologato Pole Position of the season around the 1.2-mile Fife circuit.
Although the opening race got away from the American despite fighting at the front until an off in the closing laps, he rallied to fight back on Sunday, taking the final points-paying position in eighth during the reverse grid race.
Ugochukwu then ended the weekend on a high note, storming from pole to victory in the ITV4-televised finale to cut the gap to Hitech GP racer Dunne to 92 points, with over 300 points left on the table in the remaining 12 rounds.
“Knockhill was a really good weekend for me, particularly in race three with another race win,” says Ugochukwu. “I think it’s fair to say the fight at the front is getting tighter with every round, so it should make for an exciting end to the season.”
“Qualifying is always hugely competitive in this championship, but the track conditions and traffic at Knockhill only added to that. It’s quite a short circuit, so getting space for a lap is almost as important as being on the pace. I had to make sure I kept improving every lap and didn’t make any mistakes, so it was a satisfying pole position.”
When prompted if Dunne was still within range, Ugochukwu was coy on his chances of lifting the title, but resolved to keep fighting, starting this weekend (12-14 August) at Snetterton. The 2.96-mile Norfolk venue has a blend of high-speed and slower, technical corners, which the 15-year-old believes should produce some superb racing.
“We’ll know soon enough! I’m looking forward to continuing the fight at Snetterton.”
“For me, my goal hasn’t changed. It’s to keep taking as many pole positions as possible, and to convert them into race wins. The season has a long way to run still – 12 races – and the points don’t matter until all 30 races are ticked off. We’ll keep giving it our best.”
“I think Snetterton is a great track, particularly in the high-speed corners. I’m sure it’ll produce great racing.”