BRDC F4: Harrison Scott extends Autumn Trophy lead with Sunday victory

Harrison Scott opens up commanding lead in the Duo BRDC F4 Autumn Trophy standings with strong Sunday at Snetterton

Douglas Motorsport’s Harrison Scott took one win and a runner-up finish in Sunday’s (November 8) two BRDC Formula 4 races at Snetterton, to open up an impressive lead in the 2015 Duo BRDC Formula 4 Autumn Trophy standings. HHC Motorsport’s Sennan Fielding claimed victory in a wild first race of the day as Scott then controlled the fourth and final encounter of the weekend, to add another win to his race one success on Saturday.

It was Fortec Motorsport’s Ben Barnicoat who set the pace in qualifying for race three, the first of the day, as morning conditions on the 300 circuit were still slippery. Each driver took to the track shod on wet Pirelli tyres and Barnicoat and Scott traded times at the front, before the Racing Steps Foundation-backed driver eventually came out on top by 0.210s. Struan Moore snatched third on his penultimate lap to qualify ahead of Fielding, Ameya Vaidyanathan, Sisa Ngebulana and Faisal Al Zubair.

On-track conditions were still mixed as race one got underway but everyone in the field opted for dry tyres, which in turn provided plenty of exciting racing action. Scott made a good start on the front row, drawing ahead of Barnicoat on the run out of the first turn into Montreal and contact was made between the pair, sending both off the track. The Fortec man had to pit, with Scott finishing the opening lap in fourth as Vaidyanathan suffered an off at Agostini.

Scott fought back to pass Al Zubair and then jumped up to second as Struan Moore went off at Riches, and was forced into retirement. That crash aggravated a previous injury the Jersey driver had suffered and he went to hospital for precautionary checks, meaning he missed the final race of the day.

Essex racer Scott soon closed on Fielding for the lead and was harrying the HHC man to move to the head of the field. On lap five, he got past but Fielding fought back and contact ensued, with Scott losing out and dropping back to third behind Sisa Ngebulana. That left Fielding with a lead of over 14 seconds as Scott quickly overtook Ngebulana for second. The final two laps passed without incident and Fielding eventually took the chequered flag over 12 seconds ahead of Scott, with Ngebulana third and Faisal Al Zubair the final classified finisher in fourth.

By virtue of claiming the fastest lap in race three, Scott started on pole for race four with Ben Barnicoat for company on the front-row. As the lights went out, Scott made a good getaway to lead into Riches whilst behind, Sennan Field made a superb start and moved ahead of Ben Barnicoat for second. Sisa Ngebulana bogged down and he dropped to the back as Faisal Al Zubair and Ameya Vaidyanathan moved ahead of the South African.

Completing the opening lap, Fielding made a mistake coming out of the final corner which let Barnicoat retake second position. Further back, Ngebulana and Vaidyanathan came to grief which saw the HHC man suffer damage and eventually forced him into retirement. It also gave Al Zubair clear room in fourth as the pair at the front stretched away from the rest of the pack.

At the halfway stage, Scott held a lead of over three seconds and there was more drama to unfold as Sennan Fielding was shown a black and orange flag, highlighting a mechanical issue on his car. The problem turned out to be a loose engine cover and the HHC man was forced to pit to repair the issue, thus promoting Al Zubair to third.

With two laps left, Barnicoat closed the gap to 2.376s but Scott responded and re-imposed his three second advantage to take the chequered flag and his second win of the weekend. Barnicoat came home second with Al Zubair stepping on to the podium for the first time across the weekend.

Following the first four races of the Autumn Trophy, Harrison Scott leads the standings on 128 points, with Sennan Fielding 33 points behind in second. Barnicoat is a further 12 points adrift in third as the 2015 Duo BRDC Formula 4 Autumn Trophy concludes with four more races on the Brands Hatch Indy circuit next weekend (November 14/15) in Kent.

Duo BRDC Formula 4 Autumn Trophy - Snetterton - Qualifying

1. Ben Barnicoat, Fortec Motorsports, 1m58.492s2. Harrison Scott, Douglas Motorsport, +0.210s3. Struan Moore, Hillspeed, +1.445s4. Sennan Fielding, HHC Motorsport, +2.105s5. Ameya Vaidyanathan, Hillspeed, +2.166s6. Sisa Ngebulana, HHC Motorsport, +3.026s7. Faisal Al Zubair, Fortec Motorsports, +3.621s

Duo BRDC Formula 4 Autumn Trophy - Snetterton - Race Three

1. Sennan Fielding, HHC Motorsport, 10 Laps2. Harrison Scott, Douglas Motorsport, +12.405s3. Sisa Ngebulana, HHC Motorsport, +25.857s4. Faisal Al Zubair, Fortec Motorsports, +34.112sNC. Ben Barnicoat, Fortec Motorsports, +3 LapsDNF. Ameya Vaidyanathan, Hillspeed, +4 LapsDNF. Struan Moore, Hillspeed, +9 Laps

Duo BRDC Formula 4 Autumn Trophy - Snetterton - Race Four

1. Harrison Scott, Douglas Motorsport, 10 Laps2. Ben Barnicoat, Fortec Motorsports, +2.342s3. Faisal Al Zubair, Fortec Motorsports, +41.549s4. Sennan Fielding, HHC Motorsport, +50.928s5. Ameya Vaidyanathan, Hillspeed, +1m05.807sDNF. Sisa Ngebulana, HHC Motorsport, 0 LapsDNE. Struan Moore, Hillspeed, Did Not Enter

2015 Duo BRDC Formula 4 Autumn Trophy Standings after Race Four of eight

1. Harrison Scott, Douglas Motorsport, 128 points2. Sennan Fielding, HHC Motorsport, 95 points3. Ben Barnicoat, Fortec Motorsports, 83 points4. Faisal Al Zubair, Fortec Motorsports, 79 points5. Sisa Ngebulana, HHC Motorsport, 72 points6. Struan Moore, Hillspeed, 45 points7. Ameya Vaidyanathan, Hillspeed, 40 points

Duo BRDC Formula 4 Autumn Trophy - Snetterton - Race Four

1. Harrison Scott, Douglas Motorsport, 10 Laps2. Ben Barnicoat, Fortec Motorsports, +2.342s3. Faisal Al Zubair, Fortec Motorsports, +41.549s4. Sennan Fielding, HHC Motorsport, +50.928s5. Ameya Vaidyanathan, Hillspeed, +1m05.807sDNF. Sisa Ngebulana, HHC Motorsport, 0 LapsDNE. Struan Moore, Hillspeed, Did Not Enter

2015 Duo BRDC Formula 4 Autumn Trophy Standings after Race Four of eight

1. Harrison Scott, Douglas Motorsport, 128 points2. Sennan Fielding, HHC Motorsport, 95 points3. Ben Barnicoat, Fortec Motorsports, 83 points4. Faisal Al Zubair, Fortec Motorsports, 79 points5. Sisa Ngebulana, HHC Motorsport, 72 points6. Struan Moore, Hillspeed, 45 points7. Ameya Vaidyanathan, Hillspeed, 40 points 


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