Luke adds to iRacing Trophy victory tally at Oulton Park
Luke Browning added to his win tally in the British F4 iRacing Trophy to close on the championship lead at Oulton Park.
Another pole and solid iRacing Trophy points for Luke
Rising star Luke Browning maintained his strong form in British F4’s iRacing Trophy during round three of the season at Silverstone.
Luke extends iRacing Trophy lead at Brands Hatch
Rising star Luke Browning extended his lead in the British F4 iRacing Trophy points standings despite mixed fortunes on track in the second round of the campaign at Brands Hatch.
Luke – who is set to race for Fortec this season when the British F4 season finally gets underway – set pole position for the second consecutive meeting, edging out Zak O’Sullivan to earn his place at the front of the grid.
Although he would lose the lead at the start, Luke wasted little time in blasting back to the front after an early safety car period and romped away to a comfortable 4.4s win.
“I really enjoy Brands Hatch, it’s my favourite track,” he said. “It’s one I’ve had a win at in each category I’ve raced, so I’ve got some really fond memories around here and that’s clearly come into the virtual world as well.”
A drama-filled reverse grid however saw Luke fail to score after mid-race contact in the pack saw him lose the rear-wing of his car and meant he could only finish in eleventh spot, although the Cheshire-based racer take a six point championship lead into the third round of the campaign next week at Silverstone.
Luke takes early lead in new iRacing Trophy
With his on-track action still at a standstill as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, rising star Luke Browning gave an indication of what is to come when the new British F4 season finally gets underway by taking the early advantage in the iRacing equivalent at Donington Park.
Luke tops the times in Media Day test
Rising star Luke Browning made the perfect start to life with the Fortec Motorsports team after topping the official Media Day test ahead of the new F4 British Championship certified by FIA – powered by Ford EcoBoost season at Donington Park.
Taking to the track less than 24 hours after his deal to return to the series was confirmed, the Cheshire-based youngster showed no signs of being rusty as he was quickly up to speed with his new team, spending time on top of the standings before ending the morning running with the third quickest time.
Lowering his benchmark time by two-tenths of a second during the afternoon session, Luke ended up setting the fastest lap of the day with a personal best of 1:07.354 allowing him to edge fellow Fortec driver Roberto Faria out of stop spot.
It also meant Luke was able to go three-tenths of a second quicker than the existing qualifying lap record held by Dan Ticktum, putting the teenager in a strong position ahead of the season opener back at Donington at the end of the month.
“The car felt awesome, I’m so happy to be on top of the times at Media Day,” he said.
“It feels especially great after being out of the car for months. It’s a pretty special first day back and big thanks to everyone at Fortec Motorsport.”
Luke joins Fortec for 2020 British F4 campaign
Rising star Luke Browning will join the Fortec Motorsport team for the 2020 F4 British Championship certified by FIA – powered by Ford EcoBoost season.
Luke’s debut season in Britain’s FIA-sanctioned Formula 4 series was impressive, to say the least; the Cheshire racer set the tone by storming to victory from tenth on the grid in torrentially wet conditions at the Brands Hatch season opener.
He would follow that up with a further victory at Thruxton, as well as an additional seven podium finishes across the campaign en route to sixth overall in the standings.
The switch to Richard Dutton’s renowned outfit signals Browning’s intent to return to the Ford EcoBoost-powered series for a full title assault in 2020.
Browning will join new team mates Roberto Faria and Rafael Villagomez in front of the media at Donington tomorrow for the series’ annual Media Day.
“I’m pleased to be able to announce I’ll be heading into my second year in British F4 with Fortec Motorsport,” commented Browning.
“The objective, of course, is to ultimately compete for the championship. I proved myself as a race winner and regular podium finisher last season, so there’s no reason we can’t build on that this time around.
“My focus at the moment is on hitting the ground running at Donington Park and getting the season off to the best possible start.”
Fortec’s F4 Team Manager Oliver Dutton underlined his happiness at signing Browning and believes the partnership will give the 18-year old the perfect platform to showcase his ability.
“Everybody at Fortec is delighted to welcome Luke to the team for the start of the 2020 British F4 season,” said Dutton.
“He’s a proven winner at this level and will fit in well alongside Roberto and Rafael. Between the three of them, we’re optimistic of starting the season on the front foot with some excellent results.
“We’re all concentrating now on the end of winter testing and making the best possible start at Donington Park later this month.”
Remaining in British F4 means Browning will continue to benefit from the series’ unique position as the sole single-seater support category on the UK’s premier motorsport package – the British Touring Car Championship.
That means capacity crowds spanning over 380,000 spectators across last season, along with live, free-to-air television coverage via ITV4.
The new season begins back at Donington Park on 28-29 March, 2020.