Pirtek Racing ace Caroline targets maiden single-seater success

Uncategorised,Racing

Pirtek Racing’s rising star Jamie Caroline has his sights firmly fixed on a first single-seater victory when the rebranded* F4 British Championship certified by FIA – powered by Ford heads for Thruxton this weekend for the third round of the season.

The talented teenager heads for the quickest circuit on the calendar on the back of a solid weekend of racing at Donington Park last month, where the reigning Ginetta Junior champion picked up a hat-trick of top ten finishes.

That included an astonishing performance in the first race of the weekend, where the 17-year-old showcased his talents as he romped through the field from 15th to sixth on the opening lap in challenging wet conditions.

Onboard footage of that lap has since gone viral online, with more than 113,000 views on the official British F4 Facebook page alone in recent weeks.

Having also shown impressive speed in the season opener at Brands Hatch, Jamie will now seek to fight for a maiden victory at one of his favourite circuits on the calendar – and one that already holds a special place in his heart having been the scene of his maiden car victory back in 2012.

In a change from the norm, pre-event testing for the Thruxton meeting took place last month with Jamie posting the 15th quickest time in changeable conditions.

However, confidence is high for a stronger showing when the real business gets underway with Saturday’s qualifying session, with Jamie aiming to challenge at the front of the pack in his Jamun Racing-run car.

“Testing at Thruxton last month didn’t go as well as we hoped, although the changing conditions didn’t really help,” he said. “However, since then we have had a good weekend at Donington Park and have also discovered a few other things with the car that mean I’m heading back to Thruxton in confident mood for the weekend ahead.

“It’s the quickest circuit on the calendar and totally different to anywhere else that we race with the sweeping corners around the back and the fact you are flat out so much. I really enjoy driving there and it’s a circuit that means a lot to me personally as it was the place where I took my first win in Ginettas.

“There’s been a lot of coverage online of my performance at Donington Park last month and hopefully I can create a few more headlines with a good performance this weekend and fight at the front of the field to move up the championship standings.”

After qualifying on Saturday 7 May at 11.35, the first of three F4 British Championship races will be at 15.05 later that day, with race two at 12.55 and race three at 16.30 on Sunday. Sunday’s races will feature in ITV4’s extensive BTCC coverage, with live timing and results from the weekend will be available at www.tsl-timing.com.

 

* F4 British Championship certified by FIA – powered by Ford became the official name for what was previously known as Ford MSA Formula on 3 May to reflect the championship’s unique standing as the UK series conforming to global FIA F4 regulations