2 MARCH, 2018 – Jamie Sharp has confirmed a return to the F4 British Championship certified by FIA – powered by Ford EcoBoost with his father’s outfit Sharp Motorsport.

A maiden season for Sharp and the team in single-seaters last year yielded a handful of top-10 finishes, with a best result of seventh coming at Donington Park on the way to 15th in the standings.

Both are now targeting a move up the grid, buoyed by their showing in the first official pre-season test at Brands Hatch which saw them record the fourth-fastest time.

Said Jamie Sharp: “I’m really looking forward to this season. We’ve been working hard over the winter and I’m confident heading into the first race on the back of all the training I have done.

“I feel prepared for a more successful year, but we need to see how the rest of testing goes to get a more accurate picture of how competitive we are.

“I hope to be running at the front from the very early stages and I’m excited to see how much the team and I progress throughout the year.”

“We’ve worked incredibly hard over the winter to give Jamie the best possible chance this year,” added team boss Joe Sharp.

“Jamie’s got new management so 2018 should be a good year for us. We’re doing lots of things differently – we’ve had a year of learning now.”

It’s been a successful winter with regard to sponsorship for the team from Rochdale. It heads into the season with the continued support of Roydon Group, UK Truck Sale, Universal Bodies, The Vehicle Wrapping Centre in Leeds and has added J Davidson and Kelsa Truck Products to the roster.

J Davidson are specialists in scrap metal processing, while Kelsa design and manufacture a wide range of high quality anodised aluminium and polished stainless steel spotlight bars for trucks.

Sharp also raised the prospect of running more than one car in 2018 and is eager to increase the number of drivers in the squad, as it continues to reap the rewards from working with Stuart Jones’ Pure Pace Performance Management.

“We’re in talks with other drivers so we may be running more than one car,” he said. “Jamie needs a team-mate for the data and it makes us a team.

“We have a new performance package in place now and see ourselves as a fully functioning, competitive race team which has earned the right to stand alongside the established teams in the paddock.

“With the training and development plans we have put in place with Pure Pace Performance Management, which are aimed at improving all aspects of the team including technical, sporting and commercial, it will be interesting to see where we are in relation to the competition. I cannot wait to see what we achieve this year.”