Jack Barlow has taken his second win of the 2013 BRDC Formula 4 Championship season in the opening race of the weekend at Oulton Park.
Starting from pole, Barlow made a decent getaway from the line to outdrag fellow front row starter Raoul Hyman down to Old Hall corner. Barlow led by 0.4 seconds at the end of the opening lap, doubling his advantage a lap later.
The Sean Walkinshaw Racing ace controlled the remainder of the race to take victory by nearly 1.2s, taking his first win since the opening weekend of the season back in April.
“This feels great,” said Barlow. “The hard bit was qualifying really and I knew I had to be at the front. Qualifying went smoothly to put it on P1 and my main focus from then on was looking forward and going forward and maintaining the gap behind me. I managed to do that and pull away by a few tenths.”
Hyman ran second early on, however the South African lost his place on lap two, a brief off track excursion at the Hislops chicane dropping him to fourth place. Jake Hughes and Seb Morris were promoted into the podium positions, while Ross Gunn dispatched Hyman soon after for fourth.
Lanan Racing’s Hughes maintained second throughout, while Morris held off Gunn to take the final podium position, the Motionsport driver still taking his best result of the year so far in fourth.
Hyman ended up fifth ahead of Matthew Graham, while Jake Dalton recovered from 11th in qualifying to finish seventh. That was enough to move the MGR driver into the championship after pre-race points leader Charlie Robertson collided with James Fletcher at Old Hall on lap five, forced both into retirement.
Matt Bell took eighth and with it pole position for race two, with Diego Menchaca and Gustavo Lima completing the top ten.
2013 BRDC Formula 4 Championship Round ten result:
1. Jack Barlow, Sean Walkinshaw Racing, 12 laps
2. Jake Hughes, Lanan Racing, +1.198s
3. Seb Morris, Hillspeed, +4.539s
4. Ross Gunn, Motionsport, +5.050s
5. Raoul Hyman, HHC Motorsport, +6.397s
6. Matthew Graham, Sean Walkinshaw Racing, +10.318s
7. Jake Dalton, Mark Godwin Racing, +11.570s
8. Matt Bell, MattRBell Racing Team E-Lites, +16.353s
9. Diego Menchaca, Mark Godwin Racing, +19.963s
10. Gustavo Lima, HHC Motorsport, +20.317s