Photo: Jakob Ebrey Photography
Ayrton Simmons started his third season in British Formula 4 in style with a win and a second at Brands Hatch.
Simmons started the first race from pole, and had a group of cars in his mirrors for the duration of the 26-lap encounter.
Double R Racing’s rookie Kiern Jewiss led this charge, having also been Simmons’ closest opponent in qualifying, and almost took the lead on the second lap when Simmons ran wide through the exit of Paddock Hill Bend.
The JHR Developments just kept the lead, and from then on it was counting down the laps for the Anglo-Spaniard until the chequered flag came out.
He finished the race only a third of a second up on Jewiss, with Arden’s rookies Dennis Hauger and Seb Priaulx also within a second of the winner.
Jewiss’s team-mate Paavo Tonteri finished fifth, just beating Fortec Motorsports’ Johnathan Hoggard to the spot.
Tonteri’s fellow Finn Patrik Pasma took seventh place for Arden, with Manuel Sulaiman, Jack Doohan and Lucca Allen completing the points.
Seventh for Arden man Pasma meant he started the second race from pole, with Hoggard joining him on the front row.
Hoggard took the lead at the start, and kept Pasma behind him for the rest of the race. Both had jumped the start though, meaning it was third placed finisher Priaulx who inherited the victory after penalties were applied.
He had his mirrors full of Simmons, who came within a second of taking a double victory.
Arden driver Doohan finished third, from ninth on the grid, and at one point moved past Jewiss and Hauger in one move at Druids.
Jewiss finished fourth, with Hoggard and Pasma taking fifth and sixth. Haugeer dropped off the pace and ended up a distant seventh, ahead of Allen, Sharp Motorsport’s Jamie Sharp and 2017 Challenge Cup champion Hampus Ericsson, driving for Fortec Motorsport.
Simmons leads Priaulx in the standings by six points going into the final race of the weekend, with Jewiss another seven behind.
Results round-up
Race 1 (26 laps)
1 Ayrton Simmons JHR Developments 20m27.311s
2 Kiern Jewiss Double R Racing +0.362s
3 Dennis Hauger Arden +0.530s
4 Seb Priaulx Arden +0.934s
5 Paavo Tonteri Double R Racing +2.119s
6 Johnathan Hoggard Fortec Motorsports +2.416s
7 Patrik Pasma Arden +4.641s
8 Manuel Sulaiman JHR Developments +5.040s
9 Jack Doohan Arden +5.673
10 Lucca Allen Fortec Motorsports +12.483s
Fastest Lap: Simmons, 46.583s
Race 2 (24 laps)
1 Priaulx 20m16.015s
2 Simmons +0.852s
3 Doohan +4.127s
4 Jewiss +4.986s
5 Hoggard +8.589s
6 Pasma +9.648s
7 Hauger +12.871s
8 Allen +13.260s
9 Jamie Sharp Sharp Motorsport +13.380s
10 Hampus Ericsson Fortec Motorsports +15.726s
FL: Hoggard, 46.395s
Championship Standings
1 Simmons 43 ? 2 Priaulx 37 ? 3 Jewiss 30 ? 4 Hauger 21 ? 5 Hoggard 18 ? 6 Doohan 17 ? 7 Pasma 14 ? 8 Tonteri 10 ? 9 Allen 5 ? 10 Sulaiman 4