Gowda takes lights-to-flag Knockhill British F4 win

Photo: Jakob Ebrey Photography

Dion Gowda took a lights-to-flag victory in the final race of the British Formula 4 weekend at Knockhill. 

The Rodin Carlin driver claimed his first win since Snetterton ahead of championship leader Will Macintyre.  

It was Louis Sharp who got the best start at the front of the order and was immediately on the attack, fighting for a way past Macintyre into second. But a move around the outside sent Sharp wide through the gravel and he plummeted down the order. 

With his closest title rival out of the fight, that released Macintyre to fight with Gowda for the race lead. Macintyre pushed Gowda in the first half of the race, but the pole sitter was able to pull a small gap away from Macintyre. The pair spent the rest of the race roughly a second apart, with a gap of four seconds to third. 

The win was Gowda’s third of the season, and his first points finish of the weekend. 

Sharp had dropped to the tail end of the top 10 and spent the remainder of the race slowly climbing up through the order. He managed to get up to seventh and the tail end of the fight for fourth by the chequered flag. 

Kenato Le had initially been part of that battle for fourth, but he quickly climbed up through the group and passed Aqil Alibhai to take the position. He then broke away from the group and closed in on Griffin Peebles in third. The championship newcomer had no answer for Le, who broke through to take the final podium position. 

Peebles fell back into the battle for fourth but managed to hold onto the position ahead of Alibhai and Gustav Jonsson. 

Jack Sherwood was eighth at the line, but a five-second penalty for track limits dropped him back behind Noah Lisle. 

Gabriel Stilp crossed the line 10th, but a 10-second penalty – also for track limits – put him 14th in the corrected timings. That promoted Patrick Heuzenroeder into the points paying positions, after the Argenti driver spent the entire race battling to stay ahead of Deagen Fairclough. 

Race result (25 laps)