Hitech trio lead F4 Rookie Cup battle ahead of Snetterton
Round 3 - Snetterton - Preview
Hitech TGR’s four drivers head to Norfolk this weekend as the Wera Tools F4 British Championship returns to the BTCC package at the 2.99-mile Snetterton ‘300’ circuit. As the series enters its third round, Irishman Fionn McLaughlin sits just eight points off the top of the F4 Drivers’ Standings, with Hitech team-mate Thomas Bearman in fifth – a few places ahead of Leo Robinson.
Rookie Xavier Avramides sits third in the Rookie Cup behind his team-mates, as he adapts to his first-ever campaign in cars. The Australian hasn’t raced on any British circuits before but has completed several test days at a number of the venues – including Snetterton.
Xavier Avramides:
“My second-ever test with Hitech was at Snetterton, and it’s definitely one of the hardest tracks on the calendar.”
The 17-year-old continued:
“I think the main thing is that Snetterton has every type of corner – medium-speed, slow-speed – and the track is quite narrow, so there isn’t much room for error. It’s also a long lap, so to put in a competitive time, you need to get every corner just right – which is tough over such a long distance.”
After showing steady improvement in the races at Donington Park and Silverstone, Xavier is hoping for another step forward this weekend and believes Snetterton will offer some good opportunities for racing.
“The first corner has a high-speed entry, and then it’s straight into heavy braking for the right-hander - that might be a good place to make a move.”
He added:
“Into the left-right under the bridge might work, but you’re already right on the limit there. It’s risky. I think Turn 2 and maybe the hairpins will be the better places. Like a lot of tracks on the calendar, overtaking will often come down to forcing a mistake from the driver ahead.”
Last year’s Snetterton F4 round was hit by a rainstorm, and with the forecast looking less than ideal, Xavier revealed that if it does rain, it would be his first-ever race in wet conditions. After taking podiums last time out at Silverstone, Fionn agrees that Snetterton will be a tougher test:
Fionn McLaughlin:
“It’s definitely a different track to what we’re used to and it’s really technical. Especially the last sector.”
It’s very difficult to get the braking right for all the hairpins,” adds Leo Robinson. “It’s tricky to maximise the exits for the following straights, and it’s not easy in the wet if you’re not experienced at this track.”
Thomas currently sits second in the Rookie Cup standings, 18 points behind Fionn and 36 ahead of Xavier – making it a Hitech 1-2-3. We also lead the overall Teams’ Standings, 22 points clear of our nearest rivals. Race 1 at Snetterton gets underway at 14:35 on Saturday, with Races 2 and 3 scheduled for 10:35 and 16:00 on Sunday.