Arden Motorsport celebrated victory for the second meeting in succession in the F4 British Championship certified by FIA – powered by Ford EcoBoost at Donington Park, Leicestershire last weekend (9-10 October).
The Banbury team made the short trip to the 1.95-mile East Midlands venue buoyed by a recent triumph at Silverstone, with British-Bulgarian racer Georgi Dimitrov scoring his first victory for the Red Arrows on home turf.
After a solid showing in qualifying and the opening race, Dimitrov made an early pass on team-mate and pole-sitter Cameron McLeod for the lead, capitalising on a wide moment at the Old Hairpin to close in before completing the move at Redgate on the second tour.
From there, despite two safety car interventions, Dimitrov was unflappable, bringing the car home for his third victory of the season, and a win for the team for the second successive meeting.
It proved to be ‘double delight’ for the team with Zak Taylor completing the podium in third, and the Gloucestershire teen took centre stage in the ITV4-televised finale on Sunday.
Starting towards the back, Taylor was in superlative form, charging up the order to complete the top six. The result also ensured the Motorsport UK Academy graduate breaks back into the top ten in the standings outright.
Despite a tricky triple header without points for both McLeod and David Morales, both showed tremendous pace and will be aiming to end the campaign on a high note at Brands Hatch, Kent on 23-24 October.
Gary Ward, Arden British F4 Team Manager said:
“We’re really ending the season on the front foot, so to celebrate another victory for Georgi at Donington Park this weekend just keeps that momentum within the team ticking along.
“But, in truth, we’ve got every reason to be pleased with our performances across the board; Zak did incredibly well, first to get another podium, then to keep his cool in the final race and make up all those positions.
“Cameron and David didn’t get the luck their performance deserved this weekend, but that’s racing sometimes. If we step back and think about how far they’ve progressed in such a short space of time, there’s still a lot for them to reflect on and be pleased with.
“It’s only a fortnight until the season finale at Brands, so it’s a short turn-around from our side and then we’ll be looking to end the campaign on a high.”
Georgi Dimitrov (#23) said:
“It’s a fantastic result for me, to back up my first win for Arden Motorsport with a second so soon after at Donington Park.
“It was important to get the move done early and gain track position. Cameron made a very small mistake and it allowed me to close, and from there, Redgate is probably the best opportunity around the lap.
“Of course, it wasn’t ideal with two safety cars; every time I built up a lead, it was taken away again, but the performance was in the car and I could get a good restart both times and bring it home to win.
“Thanks to the team for all their hard work and support, now I’m looking ahead to ending this season on a high at Brands Hatch.”
Cameron McLeod (#50) said:
“On the surface, it might look like a less enjoyable weekend than Silverstone, but these difficult weekends are arguably even more important for my progress in the long term.
“Our pace was still very strong, which given our lack of testing compared to the other drivers, we have to be pleased about.
“Things didn’t fall our way during the races, but it’s the way things go sometimes. We know we’ve got the capability to run up front, and I’m already looking ahead to Brands Hatch to end the season with some more points.”
David Morales (#77) said:
“I think it’s a really positive sign of how far we’ve progressed just to be frustrated that we didn’t come away from Donington Park with another podium finish.
“A grid penalty carried over from Silverstone meant I couldn’t start up front with the others in race two; had that not been the case, I’m sure we would be celebrating another fantastic team result, as well as a win for Georgi.
“It is what it is; I don’t let things like this bother me, all I can do now is focus on Brands Hatch and do my best to get back up there before the season is out.”
Zak Taylor (#99) said:
“It was definitely one of my more eventful weekends this season, but an incredibly enjoyable one.
“There’s never a bad day to be stood on the podium, and it’s been a few races now, so it was great to get that off my back and build up the confidence a little bit.
“In the final race, the performance we had in the car was just fantastic and I was really able to make progress, enjoy my racing and showcase what we’ve been capable of all season long.
“That’s a credit to the team for their hard work. I’m looking forward to going back to Brands Hatch – last time we were there, I took my maiden win – and the objective is very much more of the same.”