Pirtek Racing’s rising star Jamie Caroline emerged from a dramatic fourth meeting of the 2017 F4 British Championship Certified by FIA - powered by Ford having extended his points lead with an eighth victory of the campaign.
The teenager made the trip to Oulton Park on the back of a stunning hat-trick of wins last time out at Thruxton, and was aiming to further cement his position at the head of the pack as the series heads towards the half way stage.
A tight battle with Carlin team-mate Logan Sargeant in qualifying ended with Jamie taking pole position by just 0.083secs, but he would then control proceedings when the lights went out in race one to secure another comfortable victory.
Breaking away on the run to Old Hall for the first time in challenging track conditions caused by heavy rain showers, Jamie was never troubled and took the chequered flag nearly four seconds clear of his closest rival.
Sixth on the grid for race two as a result thanks to the reverse grid draw, Jamie would be delayed by contact on the run to Cascades on the opening lap and then also ran wide at the high-speed Druids corner as he attempted to fight his way up the order.
Having climbed to fourth place, Jamie rapidly closed on team-mate Patrik Pasma ahead but contact between the two as Jamie made a move for position at Old Hall saw him go off into the barriers in spectacular fashion.
Despite the heavy nature of the accident, Jamie walked away unscathed after being checked over in the medical centre and leaves Oulton Park with a 90.5 point lead in the championship standings.
“Race one was really good and pretty straightforward,” he said. “I wanted to make a break at the start and it all went to plan as I could build a lead and then controlled things from the front; it was just a case of keeping the car on the track and not doing anything silly.
“In the second race, it all got a bit messy in the early stages but the car was stupidly quick and I was closing on the guys ahead at more than a second a lap. When I caught Patrik, I made a move on the inside into turn one and there was contact that launched my car and I ended up in the barriers.
“It’s not how I wanted the weekend to end, but I want to thank the marshals and the medical terms for their work, and also Mygale for producing such a strong car.
“Despite the retirement, I’ve extended my points lead and it’s also good to have matched [former champion] Lando Norris in terms of a wins in a season.”
Delays to the schedule during Saturday at Oulton Park meant that only two of the three British F4 races were run, with Round 12 of the season having been rescheduled to the Knockhill meeting later in the year.
