Hoggard takes eighth win in season finale

Fortec driver climbs to third overall

Rookie Cup decided in favour of Jack Doohan

30 September 2018 – Johnathan Hoggard brought the curtain down on the F4 British Championship certified by FIA – powered by Ford EcoBoost season with an eighth victory of the year that earned him a place on the end of year podium.

The Fortec driver has started the race from pole and led from start-to-finish for a win that vaulted him from fifth in the standings to third overall ahead of the two drivers who were busy dicing for the Rookie Cup title.

In the end, that battle was decided in favour of Jack Doohan ahead of Arden team-mate Dennis Hauger, with the Australian securing the crown by 15 points.

The race itself would prove to be a straightforward outing for Hoggard at the head of the field once he had got away safely off the line.

Building a slender lead over Sebastian Priaulx (Arden) following an early safety car period to recover Sebastian Alvarez’s Double R car from the gravel after an off at Hawthorns, Hoggard was able to keep his rival at bay despite Priaulx ending the race as the fastest man on track.

It means Hoggard ends the season with more wins than any other driver, with a run of six victories across the final four meetings of the year helping him to achieve his aim of a top three championship finish.

“I’m over the moon,” he said. “I came into the weekend looking to end the year with the most wins but as the races have gone on, third in the championship has become more of a goal.

“In the last race it’s great to have got the win and secured third in the standings from the two Red Bull guys. It’s the perfect end to the season and whilst it would have been nice to have these kind of results all year, it’s nice to end it on a high.”

A second podium finish of the weekend for Priaulx was enough to see him secure seventh in the overall standings ahead of Paavo Tonteri (Double R), the driver he had gone into the final meeting level on points with.

A strong weekend for the Finn saw him also take to the podium on two occasions as he finished the season finale in third overall to pick up three Rookie Cup wins out of three.

“In terms of the Rookie Cup, we got everything we could from this weekend,” he said. “There wasn’t much action in the final race from my point of view but it’s good to end it with another podium finish.”

Behind the podium finishers, championship runner-up Ayrton Simmons took fourth spot for JHR ahead of Arden’s Patrik Pasma, with the pair both moving ahead of newly crowned champion Kiern Jewiss (Double R) on the eighth lap when he had a moment at Graham Hill Bend.

Jewiss would round out the top six ahead of Red Bull Junior driver Doohan, who wrapped up the Rookie Cup with seventh overall.

Doohan had gone into the season finale with a slender lead over team-mate Hauger but when the Norwegian dropped to the back of the field after a trip through the Paddock Hill gravel following contact with Manuel Sulaiman, Doohan was able to secure the points he needed to wrap up the crown.

“We haven’t had the strongest weekend but have done what we needed to do to win the Rookie Cup,” he said. “We made progress across the weekend after a tough start to improve the car but it’s good to end up as rookie champion.

“It’s been a tough season with Dennis and Paavo at the front of the rookies as we have all been scoring good points and it was hard to make up from any DNFs. It’s great that I’ve ended up on top.”

Behind Doohan, the points were completed by Jamie Sharp (Sharp Motorsport), Sulaiman and Josh Skelton (JHR), with Hauger bringing the curtain down on his campaign just outside the points in eleventh after his earlier drama.

Aside from Alvarez, Lucca Allen retired late on having looked well set to score points in his Fortec-run car.

F4 British Championship certified by FIA – powered by Ford EcoBoost

Provisional Results, Round 30, 30 September 2018

1 Johnathan HOGGARD / GBR / Fortec 20:32.562s / 85.28mph

2 Sebastian PRIAULX / GBR / Arden +0.448

3 Paavo TONTERI / FIN / Double R +2.353

4 Ayrton SIMMONS / GBR / JHR +4.331

5 Patrik PASMA / FIN / Arden +6.240

6 Kiern JEWISS / GBR / Double R +6.791

7 Jack DOOHAN / AUS / Arden +7.331

8 Jamie SHARP / GBR / Sharp +10.234

9 Manuel SULAIMAN / MEX / JHR +10.666

10 Josh SKELTON / GBR / JHR +14.281 etc

Fastest lap

Priaulx 1:27.113 / 100.55mph

Rookie Class

1 Tonteri, 2 Doohan, 3 Skelton, 4 Hauger

Provisional championship standings

1 Jewiss 445 points; 2 Simmons 374; 3 Hoggard 339; 4 Hauger 329; 5 Doohan 328; 6 Pasma 315; 7 Priaulx 275; 8 Tonteri 266; 9 Sulaiman 95; 10 Skelton 84 etc.

Provisional Rookie Cup standings

1 Doohan 548 points; 2 Hauger 533; 3 Tonteri 471; 4 Skelton 352; 5 Alvarez 278; 6 Lester 20

Full times