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9th podium of the year helps Seb Morris to 3rd in the
Championship by Marc Orme
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Seb holds off Charlie Robertson at Redgate- Jakob Ebrey
Photography
Ginetta Ambassador Seb Morris secured his
ninth podium of the BRDC Formula 4 Championship season during
the final event of the year at Donington Park Grand Prix Circuit
over the weekend, 28th/29th September, on his way to a coveted
top three finish in the 2013 driver standings.
Although the visit to the East Midlands
turned into something of a mixed bag of results for Seb, the
17-year-old’s charge hampered by a puncture in round 23 and
contact in round 24, he still produced three typically
determined race performances.
Sporting a newly designed crash helmet,
sponsored by Warrington-based Cable Systems Limited, the Marford
youngster began the opening encounter on Saturday, round 22,
from fourth on the grid and he maintained the position during
the early going before grabbing third at the end of lap two.
Initially running within just one second
of the runner-up spot, the Hillspeed driver showed good pace but
soon started to come under pressure himself for third. Holding
firm, despite the close attention, Seb defended well to get the
weekend off to a positive start with podium number nine of the
year.
Lining-up sixth on the ‘reverse grid’ for
the first of Sunday’s two contests, the British Racing Drivers’
Club ‘Rising Star’ climbed into fifth place on the opening lap
and then moved up into fourth on lap two as just a couple of
seconds covered the lead quartet.
Edged back to fifth again on the next
lap, Seb regained fourth soon after but any hope of fighting for
another podium went awry when a puncture resulted in a
significant loss of pace. Even so, the Welsh racer expertly
coped with the problem and managed to bring his car home in
eighth place for some crucial championship points.
Determined to end the season on a high
with a strong finish in round 24, the Loughborough College
student’s hopes were dashed on the first lap at Melbourne
Hairpin when contact from Jack Barlow dropped Seb to the tail of
the field after a spin. Recovering as well as he possibly could,
Seb battled back through into the top 10 – vitally securing
enough points to seal third in the title race.
“We’ve had a positive year, a lot of
podiums but we haven’t had the car to challenge really and
that’s what it’s been down to”, said Morris, “The first race
this weekend was alright, in the second race we had the
puncture, unfortunately, halfway through and I was wiped out in
race three which wasn’t the end to the season we were obviously
hoping for.
“I’ve proven my pace this year and what I
can do, so now it’s all about looking forward to next year and
getting our plans in place. I’ve enjoyed being part of F4 in its
first season, finishing the year third in the championship isn’t
what we wanted but it’s not bad and we’ve had some good races.”
The final three rounds of the 2013 BRDC
Formula 4 Championship will be screened on ITV4 and ITV4 HD at
18.00 next Sunday, 6th October.
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BRDC Formula 4 Championship after 24
rounds
1st
Jake Hughes (Lanan Racing) 450 points
2nd
Charlie Robertson (HHC Motorsport) 398 pts
3rd
Seb Morris (Hillspeed)
380 pts
http://www.formula4.com/
On the
Ralph Firman designed 185 bhp Cosworth Duratec-powered MSV F4-013 car;
the chassis,
engine, gearbox and shock absorers
are all sealed. Chassis adjustments are limited too; with ride heights,
tracking, cambers and castor, free within specified limits. Anti-Roll
bars and wings are adjustable and there a choice of 3 spring rates.
There will be three 20 Minutes races per event. The grid for race 1
will be decided by on 20 minutes Qualifing session, and grid for races 2
& 3 will be decided by the finishing order or race 1. In race 2 the
first 8 places will be switched and the grid for the third race in order
of fastest laps from race 1 or 2. Points
will be scored from 30 for a win to 1 for 20th. The two worst results
from races at events entered will be dropped from final championship
points. The championship winner will get £25,000 in cash and an F3 test
with Carlin + the £5,000 Who Zooms’ Award, sponsored by Yoozoom for the
driver who gains the most grid places during the 2013 season. The
leading six drivers at the mid season point will also be rewarded with a
special tour of the renowned McLaren Technology Centre
in Woking. Also the winner may be selected as a McLaren Autosport BRDC
finalist
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