Talented teenager Johnathan Hoggard completed a hugely successful F4 British Championship campaign with yet another victory at Brands Hatch over the weekend.
Weston Hills ace Hoggard secured his eighth victory of the year in the season finale – a result which saw him secure third place overall in the driver standings.
The Fortec driver started the race from pole and led from start-to-finish for a win that vaulted him from fifth in the standings to third overall ahead of the two drivers who were busy dicing for the Rookie Cup title.
In the end, that battle was decided in favour of Jack Doohan ahead of Arden team-mate Dennis Hauger, with the Australian securing the crown by 15 points.
The race itself would prove to be a straightforward outing for Hoggard at the head of the field once he had got away safely off the line.
Building a slender lead over Sebastian Priaulx (Arden) following an early safety car period to recover Sebastian Alvarez’s Double R car from the gravel after an off at
Hawthorns, Hoggard was able to keep his rival at bay despite Priaulx ending the race as the fastest man on track.
It means Hoggard ends the season with more wins than any other driver, with a run of six victories across the final four meetings of the year helping him to achieve his aim of a top three championship finish.
Hoggard told the official F4 website: “I’m over the moon. I came into the weekend looking to end the year with the most wins but as the races have gone on, third in the championship has become more of a goal.
“In the last race it’s great to have got the win and secured third in the standings from the two Red Bull guys.
“It’s the perfect end to the season and whilst it would have been nice to have these kind of results all year, it’s nice to end it on a high.”
Hoggard began the weekend by qualifying in second place, although his efforts were enough to secure pole in the third and final outing (which he went on to win).
He secured second place in the opener by finishing 2.050secs behind winner Priaulx in a race that saw Double R racer Kiern Jewiss clinch the overall title.
Hoggard’s runner-up ride was his eighth podium finish of the campaign, although amazingly it was the first time he has secured a top three finish without taking to the top step.
Race two served as something of a title party for champion Jewiss, who celebrated his title success in fine style with a sixth win of the campaign.
Patrik Pasma (Arden) claimed second spot in that one, with Hoggard once again on the podium in third spot.
Unable to keep pace with Jewiss out front, Pasma was able to defend the position from Hoggard throughout to cement his place in the top six in the championship standings.
The South Holland ace was happy enough with third spot, adding: “I didn’t take any real risks in that race and was focused on the points when it became clear I couldn’t get ahead of Patrik.”
While Hoggard went on to win the finale and secure third spot overall, the other big talking point saw the Rookie Cup decided in favour of Jack Doohan.
Overall standings: 1st Kiern Jewiss (GBR) 445pts; 2nd Ayrton Simmons (GBR/ESP) 374pts; 3rd Johnathan Hoggard (GBR) 339pts; 4th Dennis Hauger (NOR) 329pts; 5th Jack Doohan (AUS) 328pts; 6th Patrik Pasma (FIN 315pts; 7th Sebastian Priaulx (GBR) 275pts; 8th Paavo Tonteri (FIN) 266pts; 9th Manuel Sulaiman (MEX) 95pts; 10th Josh Skelton (GBR) 84pts.
