James Higgins wrote his name into the ROKiT F4 British Championship certified by FIA history books at Oulton Park last weekend (June 17/18) as he charged to victory in the series’ 250th race.
On what proved to be a rollercoaster fifth meeting of the season for the Fortec Motorsport driver, Higgins chalked up his second win of 2023 in commanding style as he cruised to the top step of the podium in race three.
Arriving at the Cheshire venue looking to bounce back from a frustrating outing at Thruxton, the 17-year-old emerged as one of the leading lights in qualifying as he blitzed the opposition to secure his second double pole position of the year.
In a frenetic session that saw a number of drivers trade times at the top, the Goblin EV racer punched in two unbeatable lap times – which in-turn smashed the existing lap record – to claim top honours.
Unfortunately, Higgins was unable to convert his front row start into a strong result in the weekend’s opening encounter. Dropping to second off the line, the former karting ace held position in the opening exchanges before the red flag halted proceedings on lap three.
On the restart, Higgins endured further woe as he stalled on the grid, dropping him to the back of the pack and leaving him to fight his way up to 15th at the chequered flag.
Starting at the rear of the field for Sunday’s reverse grid contest, Higgins could only make small progress to 16th before he etched his name into British F4 folklore a few hours later.
Lining back up on pole position for the series’ milestone 250th race, the teenager dropped to second as the lights went out but once he settled into a groove, Higgins began to hunt down race leader Kenato Le in no time at all.
On lap five, Higgins would capitalise on Le’s substantial drop-off in pace to take the lead on the run down to the final corner and once through, he began to stretch his advantage out front and comfortably took a well-earned victory.
James Higgins: “It’s fair to say we’ve seen it all this weekend but I’m absolutely over the moon to come away with my second win of the season. For it to come in the series’ 250th race as well is the just the cherry on top!
“Sticking the car on pole position in qualifying was a great start but then it was just heartache in race one and frustration in race two. To turn it around with a win in race three was mega; we had great pace and once I was out front I was able to just control the pace.
“I’ve got to say a huge thank you to the entire team for all of their hard work and to my family and friends for their support. That’s probably the best Father’s Day gift I could have given I think!
“We’re back at it again in a few days time around Silverstone and I’m keen to carry this momentum into there. Hopefully we can have a solid three races and head into the summer break on a high!”
The ROKiT F4 British Championship certified by FIA is back in action in under a weeks’ time on June 24/24, with Rounds 16, 17 & 18 taking place around the Grand Prix layout of Silverstone.
