Page 9 - Motorsport News (January 2020)

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GT CHAMPION MEADOWS
GETS DOUBLE R F4 ROLE
Top F4 squad enters partnership with Carrera Cup champ’s karting team
Stevenson is Double R’s first
driver signing for 2020
By Stephen Lickorish
Two-time Porsche
Carrera Cup GB champion
Michael Meadows has
become Double R’s British
Formula 4 team manager
after his karting outfit
Argenti Motorsport
formed a partnership
with the F4 squad.
Meadows has decided to
step away from racing himself
to take on the role, having
claimed the 2018 Blancpain GT
Series Sprint Cup title in an
AKKA-run Mercedes. Before
switching to GTs, Meadows
was a single-seater racer and
drove in British F3 in 2007.
“I’ve known Double R for
Melrose steps up to
Porsche Carrera Cup
Former Scottish Formula
Ford 1600 runner-up Sebastian
Melrose will move up to the
Porsche Carrera Cup GB this
season after signing with
In2Racing.
The 22-year-old will make
his return to the UK after a year
racing in the Nurburgring-
based VLN Series with the
Walkenhorst Motorsport
BMW GT4 squad.
Melrose got his first taste of
the championship’s machinery
at the Porsche taster day held
at Silverstone last November,
with his initial testing pace
enough to impress In2Racing
team owner Nick Dudfield.
“I got invited to the Porsche
taster day at Silverstone last
year and the organiser James
MacNaughton got me speaking
to In2Racing and I was able
to test one of the team’s car
there too,” Melrose said.
“The car is very different to
a GT4, but I can relate a lot more
to a Formula Ford car when I’m
in the Porsche. The car slides
around a lot more than the
GT4, which was a very solid,
balanced car. The Porsche is
a difficult car to drive fast so
it requires a lot more effort.”
Dudfield added: “To be working
with Seb is very exciting – we are
all very determined to continue
our strong pace from the end of
last season.”
‘Combe’s most successful racer
a long time because I drove
for them in F3 in 2007 and
always maintained that
relationship,” explained
Meadows. “Midway through
last year we started speaking.
I just felt I wanted to do the
next thing – driving is fine but
I knew opportunities were
fewer and further between.
“At this level, working with
young drivers, you can make
a big difference. I’ve done
various coaching roles over
the years and when the drivers
are older it’s harder for people
to change. When they’re
younger they’re keen to learn.”
Meadows aims to create
closer links between karting
and car racing and believes
CIVIC CUP CHAMPION DEEGAN TARGETS TOCA MOVE
Double Civic Cup champio n
Lee Deegan is targeting
a move into the Mini Challenge
JCW series or Ginetta GT4
Supercup this season as he
bids to join a British Touring
Car support category.
As well as picking up a second
Civic title last season, Deegan
won an MRF 1600 Challenge
single-seater race in India as
part of his prize for winning
the 2017 Civic crown and was
a Mini Miglia winner too.
Although the Mini Challenge
grid is officially full, Deegan
could still compete in select
events but has also tested a
Ginetta G55 ahead of a possible talks with a lot of sponsors –
GT4 Supercup move.
“I have been approached
by a Ginetta GT4 Supercup
team that have got three cars
Ginetta reveals tweaks to the format of some of its championships
Ginetta has revealed a number
of tweaks to its series for 2020,
including the G40 Cup and
Ginetta Racing Drivers Club
sharing a grid and a new class
for the Ginetta GT4 Supercup.
The GRDC will now be open
both to drivers completely
new to motorsport and to more
experienced racers, but will
retain a rookie class. Instead
of having a standalone grid,
Gary Prebble interview, p
the partnershipbetween
ArgentiandDouble Rcanhelp
preparekarters for the next
stepon thecareerladder.
“It’stwoseparate worlds–
the kartersdon’tknow much
aboutthe cars, andthecar
teamsdon’tknow much about
the karters,”saidMeadows.
“Ithinkit’s quitescarywhen
you’re15 or16and you arrive
atabigteam witha lotof
people.Wewant toget them
into cars[whilestillkarting].”
Double Rhas alsoannounced
itsfirstdriver for the newF4
season, inauguralScholarship
winnerCasperStevenson. He
finishedsixthintheGinetta
Juniorstandings last year
inhismaiden carracing
Double Civic Cup champion eyes Minis and GT4 Ginettas
and are looking for a driver,”
said Deegan. “As long as we
get the sponsors – and I’m in
as long as they commit, I’m
confident I can make it work.
“I’ve tested a Supercup car
before at Blyton and I really
it will now join the back of the
G40 Cup field.
Elsewhere, the GT4 Supercup
will now have a Pro, Pro Am and
Am class format – replicating
the system the Porsche Carrera
Cup GB uses.
“We’re excited by the format
change for the Ginetta Racing
Drivers Club for 2020,” said
Ginetta motorsport manager
Ash Gallagher. “We feel it’s
STEPHEN
LICKOR
“Signs are good fo
a strong British F4
season in 2020”
Photos: Jakob Ebrey, Steve Jones
Tnumbers.Yes,therewas
MeadowswasPorschewinner
campaignand,afterhis
Scholarshipsuccess,was
keentorace withDoubleR.
“Off thebackof winningthe
inauguralScholarshiplastyear,
Iamveryconfidentandcan’t
waitfortheredlightstogo out
atround one,”saidStevenson.
Meadowsadded thatDoubleR
hasalso signedasecond driver
andisinadvancedtalks with
athird.
●Alsoannounced asjoining
thegridare ZakO’Sullivan
andChristianMansell.Both
driverswilldrive forCarlin –
O’Sullivanwas thestandout
GinettaJuniorrookielastyear
andfinishedsecond inthe
standings,whileMansell
competedinAustralianF4.
liked the car, I like the way
it’s designed. It was a great
car to be in and it does exactly
what you want it to do. I felt
comfortable – I didn’t know
beforehand if it was going to
be too much of a step, but I felt
at one with it straight away.”
a natural development for the
series to welcome back drivers
who want to continue competing
in GRDC-specification G40s.
“Combining the G40 Cup and
GRDC will create a big grid with
exciting racing throughout,
while efficient use of the track
time available means that drivers
in both championships will see
an increase in race time through
the year.”
AGREE/DISAGREE?
letters@motorsport-news.co.uk
motorsport-news.co.uk JANUARY 29 2020 9
DEPUTY EDITOR
here is no denying that
the past couple of British
Formula 4 seasons have
not been the strongest,
certainly in terms of grid
anentertainingtitlebattlebetweenZane
MaloneyandSebastianAlvarezlastyear,
whichfeaturedthepairdramatically
collidingatSilverstone,buttherewere
just11driverswhocontestedthewhole
seasonandthetrackwasnoticeably
emptyattimes.
Itwasnotmuchbetterin2018,whenthere
were14regulardrivers.Andtheserieshasvery
muchstruggledtoliveuptothestar-studded
fielditattractedforthefirstseasonofitscurrent
guisein2015,whenthelikesofMcLaren
Formula1aceLandoNorrisandIndyCarrace
winnerColtonHertawereonthegrid.
Therefore,consideringthat2020couldbe
thelastseasonfortheexistingMygale-Ford
chassis/enginecombination(anewhybrid-
powered,halo-fittedcarcouldbeintroduced
assoonasnextyear),youwouldperhaps
expectthecomingcampaigntoagainnot
beparticularlystrongnumbers-wise.But,
actually,thesignsarelookingverypositive.
Itisstilltwomonthsbeforetheopening
roundsatDoningtonParkandeightdrivers
havealreadysignedup,andtherearemore
announcementsinthepipeline.Perfectly
respectablegridnumbersinthehigh-teens
areseeminglyonthecards.
TakeleadingsquadCarlin.Itfieldedjustone
regulardriver–championMaloney–last
seasononitsreturntothecategory,while
thisyearithasalreadyfilledallfourofitsseats.
Butitisnotjustthenumbersthatarelooking
encouragingatthisstage,itisthequalityof
thedriversonthegrid.
Asignificantnumberofthetopdriversfrom
lastseason’sGinettaJuniorline-uparesetto
graduatetotheseries.ImpressiverookieZak
O’SullivanisnowsignedwithCarlin,F4
ScholarshipwinnerandregularGinettapodium
finisherCasperStevensonisatDoubleRand
championJamesHedleyisnotconfirmedas
takingpartbuthasbeentestingwiththeJHR
Developmentssquad.AddinRomanBilinski
atArdenandyouhavegotaconsiderable
numberofGinettaracersmakingtheswitch
tosingle-seatersandthereissettobean
intriguingbattletoseewhohastheupperhand.
AlsoatCarlinthereisMarijnKremers,the
winnerofJacquesVilleneuve’sFEEDRacing
School’sshootout,alongwithAustralianF4
driverChristianMansell.Plus,therearekarting
graduatesMatiasZagazeta(Carlin)and
FrederickLubin(Arden)andthatisbefore
evenmentioninganydriversthatwillstayin
thecategoryforasecondseason.
Fortec’sRobertoFariawilllooktotakeastep
forwardin2020withayear’sexperienceunder
hisbeltandifracewinnerLukeBrowning
sticksaroundforanotherseason,hewould
beatitlecontendertoo.
Havingsomanytalentedracersalready
announcediscertainlyagoodsignforastrong
seasonahead.Anditcouldprovidetheseries
withsomewelcomemomentumaheadofits
possiblecarchangefor2021.