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Ugo Ugochukwu takes maiden win at Brands Hatch wet race in ROKiT British F4 Championship

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Credit: Jakob Ebrey Photography

Ugo Ugochukwu claimed his maiden win in the final race at Brands Hatch in the ROKiT British F4 championship, with Carlin having a full team podium win.

Ugochukwu got a great start off the line, passing Alex Dunne who was a slow mover off the line, whilst running second behind his Carlin teammate Oliver Gray.

The gap between the pair remained until mid race when a safety car was brought out to retrieve Edward Pearson’s car stranded at Druids, which closed the gap right up between the pair. Gray managed to keep the lead from the restart, however, Ugowhukwu seized the chance to overtake at Clearways, gaining the lead.

The American managed to carry on the lead in the terrible weather conditions and went on to claim his maiden win, with Gray just 5.1 seconds behind.

Ugochukwu commented: “It was a great race from the beginning, we started P3, got a good start, managed to go straight into P2 and then from there the pace was great. 

“Ollie made a small mistake, I managed to get through and then I just pushed as much as possible. The pace was great, so I want to thank the whole Carlin team. 

“It was very tricky conditions out there, quite slippery. I was fully focused on the race and I did a very good job.”

Carlin teammate, Gray, commented: “I’m still feeling slightly disappointed, I made a little mistake at the last corner after the safety car and let Ugo through.

“But this 1-2-3 result is a big boost for the team. We’ve been working so hard recently after Donington just to get up to that top step of the podium. I’m looking forward to the next round at Thruxton.”

After taking a slow start from the line, Alex Dunne’s race went even worse as he spun at Clearways after running up in third. Louis Sharp was able to slot into third place and claim the final podium spot for a full Carlin 1-2-3 podium finish.

Sharp commented: “Going into this round with limited testing and limited miles in this car, I didn’t really know what to expect,

 “We’ve finished on the podium twice, but of course yesterday I had to have that to have that podium taken away due to a penalty, so to get one back again today, I’m really, really happy about it.”

Dunne dropped to 12th after his spin but managed to make his way up the grid back to fifth despite having a damaged front wing, however after having to pit for the damaged front wing, Dunne eventually finished in 14th.

Carlin team principal, Trevor Carlin, commented: “I’m really proud of how Ugo, Ollie and Louis have raced all weekend long and this final race has really proven how hard they’ve worked,” beamed Carlin. “It’s always special to get a 1-2-3 in motorsport, and it feels even sweeter when it’s in such a competitive championship. 

“Everyone in the team puts their all into what they do, and they truly deserved this result today. 

“Ugo, Ollie and Louis should be proud of what they’ve achieved and enjoy this feeling.”

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I am currently studying a Sports Journalism degree at Sunderland University, aiming to become a full time Sports Journalist. My main interests are F1 and WRC. I cover ROKiT British Formula 4 for The Checkered Flag.
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