McKenzy Cresswell continued his fantastic start to the 2021 F4 British Championship certified by FIA - powered by Ford EcoBoost season at Snetterton this past weekend (June 12/13), scoring a pair of outright podium finishes.
Coming off the back of a terrific debut weekend at Thruxton - where he claimed an outright podium and Rookie Cup victory - the JHR Developments driver headed to the Norfolk venue in high spirits.
Showing plenty of pace during Friday’s practice sessions, the Quenched Drinks-backed racer produced a superlative performance in qualifying around the 2.96-mile circuit to secure third and second places on the grid for races one and three respectively.
Race one would prove to be a relatively tame affair for the karting graduate as he converted his second row start into a second podium of the campaign.
Challenging for second place during the early stages after a good launch off the line, the 15-year-old settled into his groove and shadowed James Hedley during all 11 laps, crossing the line to finish in third place.
Race two, a full reverse grid encounter for this season, was heavily influenced by tyre choices. Picking up a slight amount of damage during the halfway stage of the 20-minute bout, Cresswell managed his car to cross the line in 14th.
Bringing the curtain down on his weekend in the third and final race on Sunday - broadcast live on ITV4 - Cresswell, who is also supported by Salt Recruitment, returned to the rostrum with another assured drive.
Launching off the outside of the front row in searing temperatures, the Weybridge based racing talent held position during the early laps before a safety car period bunched up the field. At the restart, Cresswell was shuffled back to third and that would be where he would remain until the finish.
Following the second event of the season, Cresswell has risen to third in the overall championship whilst also maintaining his position at the summit of the Rookie Cup standings.
McKenzy Cresswell:“It’s been a great weekend! To come away with two podium finishes is not only good for my overall championship aspirations but also the Rookie Cup as well.
“As soon as I hit the track on Friday I felt comfortable in the car and credit has to go to JHR Developments for giving me the tools to do the job. I gave it a proper go for second place in race one early on but when that didn’t come off it was about managing the pace.
Race two was always going to be difficult starting towards the back and I made the best of things. Getting back on the podium in race three was fantastic, I didn’t quite have the pace to match Matthew [Rees] - he did a great job - but I can’t be disappointed with more silverware.
“We’ve made a strong start to the season and I’m keen to keep the momentum going at Brands Hatch in a couple of weeks’ time. I’m fully focused on just keeping the points ticking over and hopefully that will equate to use being in the mix come the end of the year.”
The F4 British Championship certified by FIA - powered by Ford EcoBoost heads to Brands Hatch next for Rounds 7, 8 & 9 of the 2021 season on June 26/27.
Image from Jakob Ebrey Photography.