Record breaking triple success for Jamie Caroline and Pirtek Racing

Uncategorised,Racing

Pirtek Racing’s rising star Jamie Caroline secured his place in the F4 British Championship Certified by FIA – powered by Ford history books with a stunning performance on track at Thruxton.

The talented 18-year-old clinched victory in all three races at the quickest circuit on the calendar, making him the first driver to achieve such a feat.

It came on an emotional weekend for Jamie as British F4 returned to the track for the first time since the accident at Donington Park that saw fellow racer Billy Monger lose both his legs, with Jamie going into the Thruxton meeting vowing to challenge for victory to honour his friend.

Eager to also try and maintain the strong form he displayed in the opening two rounds of the year, Jamie qualified in third place on the grid but then lost places on the opening lap when he ran across the grass – dropping down to seventh place.

Launching a fine recovery drive, Jamie battled his way back up to fourth spot and then made his move for the lead as the three drivers ahead squabbled for position – going from fourth to first in one fail swoop on the third lap.

Once ahead, Jamie worked hard to break the tow of the drivers behind and went on to secure a fifth victory of the year by little more than two seconds.

The reverse grid put Jamie in P6 for the start of race two, but a strong start saw him immediately make up two places before a stunning move into the Complex saw him rocket from fourth spot into the lead.

Although he would briefly lose the lead to rival Linus Lundqvist, Jamie wasted little time in getting back into first place and – as his rivals then fought behind – was able to simply drive away at the front for an untroubled second victory of the weekend.

The final race of the weekend saw Jamie starting from third on the grid, but once again a demon start saw him vault into the lead as the field headed into the complex for the first time.

More than a second clear by the end of the opening lap, Jamie was able to pull away from the field behind on new tyres to become the first driver in series history to secure three wins in a weekend.

It means that Jamie now sits 86 points clear in the championship standings and has already taken more victories that any driver managed during the 2016 season.

“This weekend I was really determined to secure victory for Billy,” he said. “He put the pressure on me to pick up three wins in a weekend, so it’s great I was able to manage it.

“The start was the most important part of each race and I was a bit surprised that the other guys weren’t more aggressive on the opening lap. Once I got ahead, it was all about breaking the tow and that was easier in the first and third races when we weren’t running on older tyres.

“The boys have done a fantastic job this weekend and I’m delighted with the results.”

Pirtek is Europe’s number one provider of hydraulic solutions and mobile hose replacement, with over 170 centres supported by over 700 mobile service workshops throughout Europe; offering solutions to a number of business sectors, including the automotive industry.