BRDC Formula 4 Championship team SWR is aiming for a swift return to the podium when rounds seven, eight and nine of the 2013 season take place at Snetterton 300 Circuit this weekend, 15th/16th June.
After taking a maiden race victory with car racing rookie Jack Barlow and celebrating a similarly strong debut podium for fellow single-seater newcomer Matty Graham on the opening weekend of the fledgling championship in late-April, the brand new team certainly set its stall out impressively.
Although just missing out on further podium success at Brands Hatch three weeks ago, SWR still scored strongly with Edmundbyers youngster Graham concluding the event fourth in the standings, six points ahead of Hastings-based team-mate Barlow in fifth position.
Chinese racer Zou Sirui, who is ineligible to score in Formula 4 due to his international racing licence, continues to make strong progress in his first year competing on British soil despite some misfortune so far. His best result to date is 14th position.
The whole team is feeling pretty confident for Snetterton, said team owner Sean Walkinshaw, who will himself be racing at the weekend at Jerez in Spain in the European Formula 3 Open, Its been a good start to our first year, Silverstone was fantastic and Matty was less than a tenth of a second from taking a podium at Brands Hatch as well. All in all, were very happy with how things are going.
County Durham 17-year-old Graham, the 2011 CIK-FIA Under 18 World Karting Champion and 2010 CIK-FIA Asia-Pacific Karting Champion, has made a tremendously successful transition to car racing to become a front-running contender in F4 from the start. Added to his podium at Silverstone Grand Prix Circuit in round three, Graham has also achieved two further top four results up to now.
Barlow, who celebrated his 18th birthday this past weekend, is another former karter with a highly impressive CVwinning the Super 1 Junior Rotax Championship, Rotax Cup and Kartmasters Grand Prix titles in 2011. The East Sussex driver stunned his more experienced rivals with victory in only his second car race and his tally so far also includes two further top sixes.
Sirui, who hails from Guangzhou in China, is an experienced single-seater competitor but his first season in the UK marks a big step-up in competitiveness. Aside from his 14th place at Silverstone, the SWR driver has also achieved another top 15 and certainly has points-scoring potential.
Qualifying for rounds seven, eight and nine at Snetterton 300 Circuit will take place on Saturday, 15th June, at 10.15 with the weekends opening race following at 14.45. On Sunday, 16th June, round eight will begin at 10.00 with the final outing of the weekend set to commence at 14.15.
2013 Provisional BRDC Formula 4 Championship Driver Standings (after Rd6):4th Matty Graham, 97pts; 5th Jack Barlow, 91pts; Zou SiruiDoes Not Score
