Charlie Robertson produced a charging drive through the field to take victory in the penultimate round of the 2013 BRDC Formula 4 Championship at Donington Park.
Robertson started the race from fifth on the grid and lost a place over the opening lap, but that was as far as the HHC Motorsport driver would fall as he started to climb up the order.
After passing Seb Morris on lap three, Robertson gained two places on the next lap, before passing team-mate Gustavo Lima on lap five to put him in the mirrors of leader Struan Moore.
The Hillspeed driver led the majority of the race from pole position, however he was unable to hold off his former Ginetta Junior sparring partner when he caught onto his tail, with Robertson making a move stick into McLeans on lap ten to take the lead.
From then on, the reigning Ginetta Junior champion was unchallenged en-route to the chequered flag, the 16 year old taking his second win of the season, his first since Brands Hatch in May.
“We didn’t get a fantastic start and dropped down to sixth,” said Robertson. “I knew I had the pace from yesterday to fight my way through and that’s what we did. I managed to pass them and take the win which is fantastic.”
Moore maintained second for the final few laps to take his third podium finish in the last five races, while Lima held third to secure his first podium finish of the campaign.
With a puncture for Morris causing him to slide down the order, James Greenway secured fourth, while Jake Dalton took fifth, the Lanan Racing driver producing one of the overtaking moves of the race around the outside of Morris at McLeans.
His team-mate and newly crowned 2013 champion Jake Hughes fought back to sixth, having slipped to ninth early on, with Raoul Hyman making it three HHC cars in the top seven.
Morris eventually ended up eighth, while Matt Mason starred to claim a hard fought ninth from eighteenth on the grid ahead of Matthew Graham, the latter’s Sean Walkinshaw Racing team-mate Jack Barlow having another frustrating race, finishing up fourteenth.
2013 BRDC Formula 4 Championship round 23 report:
1. Charlie Robertson, HHC Motorsport, 12 laps
2. Struan Moore, Hillspeed, +0.745s
3. Gustavo Lima, HHC Motorsport, +6.303s
4. James Greenway, Privateer, +6.620s
5. Jake Dalton, Lanan Racing, +9.344s
6. Jake Hughes, Lanan Racing, +11.351s
7. Raoul Hyman, HHC Motorsport, +12.063s
8. Seb Morris, Hillspeed, +14.018s
9. Matt Mason, MGR Motorsport, +14.491s
10. Matthew Graham, Sean Walkinshaw Racing, +15.952s.
