Sebastian Priaulx overcame a number of issues to salvage a pair of top ten finishes during a difficult fourth meeting of the 2018 F4 British Championship at Oulton Park this past weekend (09/10 June). The 1st Central Insurance supported driver headed into the meeting with fond memories of the Cheshire circuit after taking an incredible double victory there in the Ginetta Juniors last season, but unfortunately he would be unable to enjoy similar success this time around. Priaulx was buoyed by a positive run during an official two-day test at Croft in the week leading up to the event, and there was further promise on Friday as the Guernseyman finished both of the free practice sessions in the top seven overall. Qualifying on Saturday morning would start in strong fashion as Priaulx slotted into the top six, however a fast developing steering problem would cause him to miss the peak of the tyres and lead to him ending his session early in the pitlane. That left the Ravenscroft supported racer ninth on the grid for the opening race of the weekend, however his hopes of making progress were hampered by a lack of power, which meant he would have to settle for tenth position at the flag. It was hoped the issue had been resolved ahead of race two on Sunday, however it would sadly prove to be a similar situation in front of the live ITV4 television cameras as Priaulx was unable to compete with those ahead as he took ninth in his Arden Motorsport machine. The weekend would come to a close with more disappointment in race three, as the seventeen year old ran in tenth position after the first few laps before his car ground to a halt due to a mechanical failure; his first retirement of the campaign. Priaulx will be looking to bounce back from the weekend’s frustration as the F4 British Championship heads to North Yorkshire in two weeks’ time for Rounds Thirteen, Fourteen and Fifteen at Croft (23/24 June). Sebastian Priaulx: “It’s been a weekend to forget sadly. We had solid pace in free practice which hinted that we could have a competitive weekend, but the steering problem cost us dearly in qualifying and that put us firmly on the backfoot for the races. “I pushed as hard as I could in all three races, but we had issues beyond my control in each and that stopped me from being able to go on the attack and make progress up the field. We’re determined to resolve the problems and I’m confident we can come back stronger at Croft.” Images from Jakob Ebrey Photography.
Simon Paice