MGR Motorsport have completed their 2014 line up of seven drivers over two series with the addition of Michael Claessens to their BRDC Formula 4 Championship team. The 21 year old Dutchman joins the Loughborough based outfit following a brief season in Lotus racing for his first full year in racing.
Claessens has signed up with just over a week to go before the start of the BRDC Formula 4 Championship at Silverstone. Four cars remain vacant with just four working days to go before the first race of the year. KBS Motionsport have two cars to fill while Chris Dittmann Racing are looking for a single driver to partner Britton Tom Jackson. There is also a single chassis still available for purchase or hire from the series for another team to run or to expand the existing line-up for one of the entered outfits.
Claessens made a splash when he took to racing in Autumn last year. His debut in the Lotus Elise Trophy at Snetterton with a best finish of twelfth in a 22 car field. Two weeks later he surprised all when he claimed victory in the Lotus Six Hours at Brands Hatch, driving alongside Sam Hancock. His switch to single seaters has so far consisted of testing with MGR, where both driver and team were impressed with what was on offer.
Team Principal at MGR Motorsport Mark Godwin said: “Michael has really impressed us with his development in the tests so far, and if his development continues well, he could be in line for some decent results, certainly in the second half of the season. With drivers as experienced as Chris Middlehurst and David Wagner in the team alongside him, he will only benefit from their knowledge and help to push the team on.”
Claessens added: “The BRDC F4 Championship is the perfect series for me to start racing full time as the car is great for new drivers like me to come into and start learning straight away, helped especially by the paddle shift gearbox. I haven’t felt intimidated behind the wheel which is really comforting for a new driver and gave me confidence to start pushing to improve my lap times and learn more about the car. My aims for this year are to learn, develop myself as a driver and make the most of the experience of the Mark Godwin Racing team to push for strong results as the season develops.”
MGR are also racing in the Protyre Formula Renault Championship where Matteo Ferrer leads the points table after one round.
