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Rising star Luke Browning added to his impressive tally of podium finishes with a third place finish in the latest rounds of the F4 British Championship certified by FIA – powered by Ford EcoBoost season at Croft.

Luke topped the times in a damp opening practice session on Friday at the North Yorkshire circuit and was amongst the pace setters in the second session before a number of his rivals popped in quick laps late on as the circuit dried out.

Qualifying would prove to be a titanic battle for pole between Luke and title rivals Casper Stevenson and Zak O’Sullivan. Luke would eventually end up just 0.040s behind Stevenson to end up second on the grid, and would also end up second on the grid for race two despite his second quickest time being dead level with the time Stevenson would manage.

The opening race would be a challenging affair for Luke after a trip across the gravel at Clervaux, the opening right hander, saw him drop down the order to end the opening lap in sixth place.

Luke would spend the whole race tucked up behind the car of Roman Bilinski but was unable to make a move for position and had to settle for a sixth place finish as a result.

With the Croft meeting featuring just two races rather than the usual three, Luke headed into race two keen to try and add to his impressive tally of silverware this season and he held second off the line before a safety car period caused by Bilinski going off at turn one.

After the restart, Luke went wheel-to-wheel with O’Sullivan before his rival edged ahead into second spot, and Luke would ultimately end up with a third place finish – and a new lap record – to end the weekend 13 points clear in the title race with six races left to run.

“I performed very well in qualifying, my theoretical time was two tenths up the road and we should have been on double pole pretty comfortably,” he said. “I made it difficult for myself in that sense because if I’d have started first I’d have found it a lot easier just to drive off.

“In race one I made a mistake and went straight on at the first corner, and I managed to recover into sixth but it just didn’t really go to plan. Race two was a solid race, we’ve got the lap record around there now which is pretty cool. If we’d be on pole it’d have been a different story.

“We need to have some more and more positive rounds now, we’ve had a couple of bad rounds, the last three just haven’t been very strong for whatever reason. I knew they weren’t going to be the most strong, but Snetterton and Brands are two of my strongest tracks – I really do expect to hopefully be on pole there and drive off into the distance!

“That would be lovely, but that’s not always how racing works out. I know our pace is going to be fast, the car feels quick and if everything comes together I guess we’ll aim for the triple again!”

Rising star Luke Browning retained his lead in F4 British Championship certified by FIA – powered by Ford EcoBoost standings despite mixed fortunes on track at Silverstone.

Luke took a lead of 57 points into the sixth weekend of the season on the back of a solid weekend at Thruxton and qualified in fourth spot around the short National circuit in his Fortec Motorsport-run car.

Having been involved in a race long battle with James Hedley and Abbi Pulling in race one, Luke kicked off his weekend with a fourth place finish in race one – a fine result in itself considering that the front wing of his car picked up damage over the course of the race.

With only eight drivers finishing a chaotic opening, Luke secured pole for the second race of the weekend and would control proceedings from the moment the lights went out to secure victory despite running on older tyres than some of his rivals.

Unfortunately, having taken his place on the top step of the podium, Luke was then given a time penalty for exceeding track limits which meant he was dropped from first place down to a hugely unrepresentative fifth place in the end results.

Undeterred, Luke saw off the challenge of Hedley in the early stages of the opening race to maintain fourth place and would hold the position through to the finish to pick up more valuable points towards his championship total.

That means Luke now holds a lead of 33 points with eight races still to run over the remaining three rounds.

“It just didn’t really go to plan, we didn’t have the pace that we expected – but that wasn’t necessarily our fault – we were very close in qualifying and all throughout practice,” he said. “I knew that Thruxton and Silverstone would sort of level it out a little bit because they’re not so much skill tracks – they’re not so much drivers tracks.

“They’re easier to get your head around and to be quick at, and they’re not as technical. We knew it’d be a bit more difficult to just be able to take pole and win, but we’re looking forward to getting into the last quarter of the season now.

“The plan is now to focus on qualifying, and as long as we’re starting on the front row we should be fine for the next few races.”

Rising star Luke Browning continued his impressive run of form in the F4 British Championship certified by FIA, powered by Ford EcoBoost at Thruxton to extend his points lead as the season reached the half way stage.

The Cheshire racer headed for the fastest circuit on the calendar with a 38 point lead over closest rival Zak O’Sullivan having secured a fine seven podium finishes in a row – a record he was keen to try and extend during the fifth meeting of the condensed 2020 campaign.

Having been a close second on the times in Friday practice, Luke qualified alongside O’Sullivan on the third row of the grid for race one of the weekend having set the sixth quickest time.

Getting ahead of O’Sullivan at the start, Luke then fought his way ahead of Alex Connor, and secured third from Abbi Pulling after a brief safety car period.

Although unable to close on the two cars ahead to fight for victory, another podium finish allowed Luke to extend his championship advantage.

The run of top three finishes would come to an end in the second race of the weekend after a clash with O’Sullivan and Connor at turn one left him nursing damage to his front wing.

Despite that damage, and having dropped down the order, Luke fought his way back through to sixth place at the finish which allowed him to edge further away from O’Sullivan, who would cross the line in tenth.

A post-race penalty for his part in the incident meant Luke be demoted to the tenth on the grid final race of the weekend but he wasted little time in making up places to lie in sixth by the end of the opening lap.

Fighting ahead of Christian Mansell and Connor on lap three, Luke would cross the line in fourth spot before a one second time penalty dropped him behind Connor on the road.

With O’Sullivan down in tenth spot, Luke was again able to outscore his rival and will now take an extended 57 point lead to Silverstone for the sixth meeting of the year.

For whatever reason we just didn’t have the pace, we seemed to be really quick in sector one and then just lose it all round the back where all the flat out corners are.

“It was just tough, it was just one of those weekends, we knew it’d be tough,” he said. “But I’m really looking forward to Silverstone, the home of the BRDC and getting back out there really.

“I love Silverstone, it’s an awesome track. I hope we can get some good results there, we had some not too bad results last year, but I think the weather forecast is looking a bit rainy as well which can be a bit helpful!”

On the back of a stunning triple win at Oulton Park, rising star Luke Browning made it five victories from six starts after another weekend to remember as the F4 British Championship certified by FIA, powered by Ford EcoBoost headed to Scotland for the fourth meeting of the year.

The Cheshire racer had moved into the points lead with his perfect weekend on home soil a week earlier, and made the trip to Knockhill looking to extend his lead over main rival Zak O’Sullivan in the standings.

Having been the man to beat on track in practice at the wheel of his Fortec Motorsport-run car, Luke topped the times in qualifying with two laps that were good enough for pole position around the tricky circuit north of Edinburgh.

With the grid for race three being determined by the second quickest times posted in qualifying, that meant Luke also put the #11 car on pole for the final race, which would air live on ITV2.

The opening race of the weekend would prove to be a straightforward affair for Luke, who held his position at the head of the field when the lights went out and then edged away from the chasing pack behind to take a fourth successive race win.

That meant he equaled the series record, held by championship winners Jamie Caroline and Zane Maloney.

The reverse grid second race would leave Luke with more of a challenge as he attempted to work his way through the pack at a circuit where overtaking is notoriously difficult. Jumping up to third at the start before a safety car period to remove a car from the gravel at turn one, Luke managed to battle into second ahead of Roman Bilinski and then ran behind title rival O’Sullivan to the finish.

The final race would see Luke once again lead the way from start-to-finish with a dominant performance on track that also saw him break the lap record, ensuring that he heads into a three-week break before the next round at Thruxton having opened up a 38 point lead in the standings.

“I’m thrilled with the way the weekend has gone; it’s been phenomenal,” Luke reflected. “To secure pole position and take two wins is brilliant, and adding in the lap record in the final race was just the icing on the cake.

“We knew coming here that we would be strong and it’s great that we have been able to build on the success we had at Oulton Park. This is a championship that is all about scoring good points when you can, and that is certainly what we have managed to do in the last two rounds. Two wins and a second here is great for the championship after the triple win a week ago, and has given us a good lead in the standings.

“It’s nice to have a little break now and then I can start to prepare for Thruxton. It’s a tricky circuit where you need a bit of luck on your side but I’m sure that we’ll be strong when we get there.”

Rising star Luke Browning enjoyed a weekend that he described as the “best of his career” after securing a double pole and three wins from the latest rounds of the F4 British Championship certified by FIA, powered by Ford EcoBoost at Oulton Park.

Luke headed into his home event on the calendar seeking to challenge for a first win of the campaign, having picked up an impressive four podium finishes from the opening six races of the year at Donington Park and Brands Hatch.

Having shown solid pace in Friday practice, Luke qualified on the front row of the grid for the opening race of the weekend in a tricky session that was affected by an early shower – albeit not one that was heavy enough to prevent drivers from taking to the track on slicks.

Luke’s second best time however would be good enough to secure pole for the final race of the weekend.

With his focus on trying to get ahead of pole man James Hedley when the opening race kicked off on Saturday afternoon, Luke made the ideal start to grab the lead at Old Hall on lap one and then set about building a lead out front.

Although a mid-race safety car negated his advantage, Luke was able to ease away from the chasing pack again after the restart and secured his first victory of the year by a margin of nearly three seconds.

Sixth on the reverse grid for the second race of the weekend, Luke made a strong start in wet conditions to quickly move up into the top three and then got ahead of Frederick Lubin before setting his sights on leader Alex Connor ahead.

Chasing down his rival, Luke put him Connor under huge pressure before making his move for the lead around the outside at Old Hall on the final lap. Going side-by-side with Connor down the Avenue, brief contact between the two at the top of Cascades saw Connor spin off track and left Luke with a broken front wing, although he was able to bring his car to the finish for a second win of the weekend.

Sitting on pole position for race three, Luke beat fellow front-row starter Hedley to turn one and what would follow was a cat and mouse battle between the pair that would run for the entire 15 lap race.

Luke however was able to keep himself clear of Hedley to wrap up a stunning home hat-trick and move into the championship lead, 22 points clear of Zak O’Sullivan.

“I’m delighted with the weekend and I couldn’t have asked for more,” he said, “this is probably the best weekend of my career. We had fantastic pace in the car and the team has done a great job with it.

“The opening race was tricky with rain mid-way through that caught a few people out and then race two was amazing. I got a great start and the battle with Connor late on was brilliant. It was a shame how it ended but it was a racing incident that can unfortunately happen in those situations.

“Getting a third win was great and I can only imagine what it would have been like to have my fans here cheering me on. To take 75 points from the weekend and have a nice to lead to take to Knockhill is ideal and I can’t wait for next weekend.”