Photo: Jakob Ebrey Photography
Fortec Motorsports will return to British Formula 4 for the final two rounds of the 2022 season with rookie driver James Higgins.
Although Fortec was one of the teams to publicly sign up to the new era of British F4 ahead of this season, it has yet to race the second-generation Tatuus chassis and Abarth engine and been focused instead on testing.
It will make its return at local circuit Silverstone next weekend and also contest the Brands Hatch finale two weeks later together with former Ginetta Junior racer Higgins.
“Our approach to the last two rounds is very much with one eye on the future,” team manager Oliver Dutton said.
“For us, it’s the beginning of our 2023 programme. It’s a championship we’ve been very successful in previously, and we’re certainly not here to make up the numbers in the background.”
Higgins debuted in the Ginetta Junior championship at the corresponding Silverstone event two years ago and then contested the full 2021 season with the Preptech UK team, finishing 15th in the standings.
“I’m really pleased to be joining the British F4 grid, and with such a renowned team as Fortec Motorsport,” said Higgins.
“I’ve been fortunate enough to test the car on a number of occasions with the team throughout this year, but there’s no substitute for competitive experience. The ambition is to be back on the grid full-time for 2023, so to get a head start going into the winter is only a benefit to me.
“I’ve gelled really well with the team, and they have such a proven track record for developing drivers. Silverstone is such a fantastic track, and Brands Hatch is a personal favourite of mine with all the elevation changes, so the ingredients are there for us to learn a lot and have some fun.”
Dutton added: “James is a driver with real promise, so it’s fantastic to welcome him formally to the team. We’ve made a lot of progress with him as a driver during testing, so I’m excited to see it all come together in a racing environment.
“These last two events are as much a learning exercise for 2023 for us as a team, as well as James as a driver. So, there’s a shared objective there, and the aim is just to gather as much experience and information as possible to make sure we’re hitting the ground running over the winter and into next year.”