F4: Four drivers for the title!

After the restart on the Nevers Magny-Cours circuit the ASA trainees will head to Nogaro for the fifth round of the 2014 French F4 Championship. The 25 trainees are more motivated than ever and they can’t wait to go head-to-head on the very technical Paul Armagnac circuit. The current leader, Lasse Sorensen from Denmark, could open the gap a little more over his nearest pursuer Anglo-Swiss, Félix Hirsiger, who has taken over second spot after his two victories in the last meeting. He will be determined to hold on to his position in front of third-placed Dorian Boccolacci. Australian Joseph Mawson is only a few points behind the Frenchman and he will try everything he knows in the next event to break into the top 3 in the final championship ratings. The battle for the 2014 French F4 Championship title looks like it’s hotting up to a thrilling climax between these four drivers!

The 25 drivers will arrive at the Paul Armagnac-Nogaro circuit for the fifth round of the 2014 French F4 Championship raring to go. This guarantees three no-holds-barred races as the title chase is now entering its decisive phase. Although Lasse Sorensen has taken a serious option on the 2014 crowd with a total of 195 points, nothing is set in stone among the front-runners as several drivers are on a final charge in the closing stages of the competition. The Dane had a good weekend at Magny-Cours clinching second, eighth and third places, but he will have to cope with Hirsiger’s fightback as the Anglo-Swiss moved up into second place with 157 points after the round in the Nièvre where he left his mark with victories in races 1 and 3. Since the start of the second part of the season, Boccolacci seems to have been unable to recapture the pace he showed in the opening races which explains why he lost second place to Hirsiger.

The Frenchman now has another problem called Joseph Mawson who clinched two top-3 finishes at Magny-Cours. The Australian is taking advantage of Boccolacci’s inability to score big points, and he is going to give his all to finish the year in the first three in the championship ratings. Russian Denis Bulatov, still among the front-runners, also had his moment of glory in round 4 by winning race 2 and rounds out the provisional front five. The Russian would like to move up the time sheets even further, but he has to watch out for Swiss Paul Hokfelt Jr who is close behind and determined to rack up victories. Behind him come four Frenchmen: Amaury Richard, Valentin Hasse Clot, Valentin Moineault and Erwan Julé who complete the top 10.

David Droux from Switzerland has moved up three places in the overall classification thanks to some good performances and is hoping to continue his progress. He is lying 11th in front of the Auto Sport Academy’s new recruit, Mexican Patricio O’Ward, also out to add a large haul of points to his tally. He is dead-heating with Bryan Elpitiya. Hot on their heels come three youngsters Russian Vladimir Atoev, Simo Laaksonen from Finland and Swede Reuben Kressner who are not lacking in ambition and are out to score big points to upset the current hierarchy. Finn Niclas Nylund, Portuguese Joao Carvalho and Swiss Albanian Gjergj Haxhiu all have the same intentions and will leap at any chance that will help them move up the time sheets.

French drivers Tom Soubiron, and Anouck Abadie, the only woman competing in this year’s championship, Mexican Axel Matus, Juan Manuel Jimenez Silva from Colombia and Hugo Sugnot Darniche, grandson of famous rally ace Bernard Darniche, continue their apprenticeship and have not thrown in the towel: they will do their best with a single aim: namely, to score good results in the championship. Newcomer Max Defourny from Belgium will take on the ASA trainees in the three remaining meetings.

The drivers have nine races left to sort themselves out before the end of the season. The overall classification of the French F4 Championship with no fewer than 12 different nationalities is far from frozen!

Reminder
Three races per meeting with a single qualifying session of 25-30 minutes. The starting order for the first race will be fixed according the second-fastest time of each driver in the qualifying session. The classification of race 1 will decide the grid positions for race 2 with the first ten in race 1 starting in reverse order. The other drivers will start according to their finishing order. The grid line-up for race 3 will be established according to the fastest time of each driver in qualifying.

The weekend’s rendezvous
Friday 26th September: free practice at 09h35 and qualifying at 16h15
Saturday 27th September: race 1 at 09h40 and race 2 at 15h25
Sunday 28th September: race 3 at 10h20

>>> Follow the races live on www.gt-tour.fr

Info Auto Sport Academy / © Photo KSP