Photo: Hitech GP
Deagen Fairclough will move to Hitech GP for his second season in the British Formula 4 championship.
The 17-year-old made it to single-seater racing in a slightly unconventional way by winning the ROKiT Racing Star contest.
It began with a five-round Esports series that took place in early 2022, then the best drivers were invited to University of Bolton’s National Centre for Motorsport Engineering for further simulator-based activities. To decide the winner there were two races, with the highest scorer earning a paid-for seat in British F4.
The other unconventional element of Fairclough’s arrival into the series is that he was a junior driver of British Touring Car team Ciceley Motorsport rather than a Formula 1 team.
Fairclough signed to race for JHR Developments (but with his ‘ROKiT F4 Racing’-branded entry receiving a form of support from Hitech), and over the 2023 season he claimed three wins and six fastest laps to come third in the standings.
“[This year] was a fantastic learning curve for me and I was pleased with the developments and improvements I made through the season,” said Fairclough. “I am so excited to be joining Hitech GP and am delighted to have the continued sponsorship from Jonathan Kendrick’s ROKiT Group. I can’t wait to get started.”
Hitech’s team principal Oliver Oakes added: “We are delighted to announce Deagen into our British F4 line-up for 2024. He is a proven race winner and we are looking forward to developing him as a driver to be a championship contender in 2024. I would like to thank ROKiT for placing their trust in Hitech, as well as welcoming them to the team as a sponsor.”