AS DETAILS OF CHALLENGE CUP & PROVISIONAL TESTING DATES CONFIRMED

£1,000 available at every meeting to Challenge Cup entrants, as well as one-off £5,000 prize up for grabs during season.Challenge Cup drivers eligible to score championship points and take advantage of lower registration fee.Sponsorship Acquisition Training from leading sports marketing exponent Brian Sims available to first 15 drivers who register for championship.Championship brochure and 2017 British F4 registration form now available.

With the dust settling on a thrilling season in the F4 British Championship certified by FIA – powered by Ford, details of the new for 2017 Ford F4 Challenge Cup, as well as provisional championship testing dates have been confirmed.

Following what will be remembered as one of the most competitive British F4 seasons in history, the 2017 campaign looks set to be another fiercely contested affair with the introduction of the Ford F4 Challenge Cup giving talented youngsters the chance to prove they have got what it takes in the UK’s leading single-seater series for less than £100,000.

Challenge Cup drivers will compete in seven of the 10 championship meetings, with both the Knockhill meeting and the season finale at Brands Hatch being mandatory. Drivers will then be able to nominate the other five meetings they wish to take part in.

There will be no restriction on which teams can enter, but all teams will be required to adhere to the F4 British Championship’s four car limit.

All technical regulations for Friday official test days and race weekends are identical for both the Championship and Challenge Cup classes – including tyre limits – so as to ensure a level playing field.

A lucrative array of prizes are on offer to Challenge Cup entrants thanks to a £10,000 prize fund courtesy of Ford Motor Company. At each meeting £250 will be awarded to the driver who gains the most places in race one from their grid position; a further £250 will be awarded to the Challenge Cup winner in race two and £500 will be available to the Challenge Cup winner in the final race of the weekend.

As well as a dedicated Challenge Cup podium for each round, there will also be a prize of £5,000 available to the first Challenge Cup driver who wins a race overall.

Championship organisers have left the door open to Challenge Cup drivers turning their efforts to an assault on the overall championship, as they will be eligible to score championship points throughout the season.

To enhance affordability, the registration fees for Challenge Cup drivers will be reduced to £2,000 (ex. VAT). £500 less than the Championship class.Early registration to either the Championship or Challenge Cup class brings with it the added benefit of Sponsorship Acquisition Training which is available on a first come, first served basis to drivers.Ford has secured 15 places on this prestigious course developed by one of international sport’s most experienced and successful sports marketing exponents Brian Sims in association with Autosport. This is a unique online training course designed to take F4 British Championship drivers through the entire process of sponsorship acquisition; helping increase their chances of securing meaningful sponsorship.With final details of the Challenge Cup confirmed; the 2017 F4 British Championship certified by FIA – powered by Ford provisional testing schedule has also been announced.

A testing ban will commence from 21 December 2016 until 31 January 2017. From 1 February until the season opener at Brands Hatch (Indy), both Championship class and Challenge Cup drivers will be permitted to undertake open, unregulated testing with no limits on mileage or location.

Following the first race weekend, Challenge Cup drivers will only be permitted to test on the official test days associated with their chosen seven meetings. In addition to this, drivers will be able to choose a further seven days of testing from the championship’s ‘official organised’ test days during the season.

These additional days of testing will be made available to Challenge Cup entrants on a pro-rata basis, so if a driver were to only compete at five meetings, they would only be allowed to take part in the five associated official tests and five ‘official organised’ test days.

2017 Provisional Testing DatesDate Circuit, CountyFri 3 February Oulton Park, CheshireThu 16 February Brands Hatch (Indy), KentMon 6 March (MEDIA DAY) Donington Park, LeicsWed 8 March ` Brands Hatch (Indy), KentWed 15 March Snetterton, NorfolkTue 21 March Rockingham, NorthantsTue 23/Wed 24 May Croft, North YorkshireTue 30/Wed 31 May Snetterton, NorfolkWed 9 August Knockhill, FifeFri 18 August Rockingham, NorthantsWed 6 September Silverstone, NorthantsWed 20 September Brand Hatch (Indy), Kent