Photo: Formel4.dk
Mikkel Pedersen moved back ahead in the Danish Formula 4 title fight at Ring Djursland, winning two races in the quadruple-header event.
It was the first round since the season opener to actually run in Denmark, with the last two having been shared events with Formula Nordic in Sweden, and so the field shrank back down to 13 entries. There were four debutants, including Leo Robinson who is currently 13th in the Ginetta Junior sportscar series.
Danish Formula 5 legend Mads Hoe set the pace in practice around the short track, setting a 50.446s laptime to lead Robinson by 0.623 seconds. He continued to be the benchmark in qualifying, setting several laps faster than anyone else could manage and taking race one pole by 0.123s over Mathias Bjerre Jakobsen. Robinson qualified third, 0.329s back.
Jakobsen jumped past Hoe off the line at the start of race one, and Hoe only got three laps into the race before retiring. That promoted Robinson to second, and he stayed there for the rest of the race. Pedersen rounded out the podium, and a very distant fourth was Laerke Ronn Sorensen on their debut. They actually got a penalty in the race for jumping the start, and Michella Rasmussen was penalised for crowding another driver off the track. Oliver Kratsch won the F5 class in seventh place.
Magnus Pedersen finished eighth, and therefore got reversed-grid pole for race two. He led start to finish, while Hoe charged from last on the grid to finish second and win the F5 class. On lap he made up seven places, gained another on lap six, two more on lap seven and was running behind Pedersen by lap eight of 16.
Robinson also went on a charge, making the podium again after passing Sorensen mid-race.
Jakobsen dropped to last on lap one, and was given a 10s stop-go penalty for overtaking under yellow flags and unsportsmanlike driving.
A reversed grid was also used for race three, which along with race four was missed by Hoe. Frederik Stena jumped from third to first to lead the early laps, before Mikkel Pedersen – from fourth on the grid – got past him on lap five and then pulled away for his fifth win of 2023.
Stena faded to fifth, and was then disqualified for a scary crash he had had with series newcomer Louis Leveau. Robinson and Jakobsen rounded out the podium.
Robinson lined up on race four pole, ahead of Mikkel Pedersen, Magnus Pedersen, Jakobsen and Sorensen, who jumped the start again.
Mikkel Pedersen passed Robinson on lap one but could not shake off the single-seater debutant. Robinson tried reclaiming the lead, but failed to do so and actually lost second place to Jakobsen with three laps to go. Jakoobsen finished 0.55s behind the winner, while Robinson dropped 10s but made it four podiums from four starts.
Sorensen was fifth despite her penalty, and Kratsch was F5 winner in sixth.
Results round-up
Race 1 (19 laps)
1 Mathias Bjerre Jakobsen Team FormulaSport 16m18.772s
2 Leo Robinson STEP Motorsport +6.446s
3 Mikkel Pedersen Team BAR +9.079s
4 Laerke Ronn Sorensen LR Racing +27.732s
5 Louis Leveau Team FSP +32.034s
6 Frederik Stena SD Racing +33.133s
7 Oliver Kratsch Mads Hoe Motorsport +38.108s
8 Magnus Pedersen MP Racing +42.740s
9 Mille Hoe Mads Hoe Motorsport +44.753s
10 Niels Ejnar Rytter Rytterjet +51.605s
Pole: Mads Hoe, 50.371s
Fastest lap: Jakobsen, 50.209s
Race 2 (16 laps)
1 Magnus Pedersen 15m59.453s
2 Mads Hoe Mads Hoe Motorsport +1.495s
3 Robinson +5.580s
4 Sorensen +8.122s
5 Mikkel Pedersen +8.431s
6 Stena +16.058s
7 Leveau +16.261s
8 Rytter +31.958s
9 Mille Hoe +36.479s
10 Michella Rasmussen Henriksen Racing +38.019s
FL: Mads Hoe, 50.245s
Race 3 (13 laps)
1 Mikkel Pedersen 14m06.353s
2 Robinson +1.386s
3 Jakobsen +1.980s
4 Magnus Pedersen +2.931s
5 Stena +3.928s
6 Kratsch +5.008s
7 Rytter +6.469s
8 Mille Hoe +7.255s
9 Rasmussen +8.026s
Ret Leveau
FL: Robinson, 50.493s
Race 4 (19 laps)
1 Mikkel Pedersen 16m17.428s
2 Jakobsen +0.550s
3 Robinson +10.445s
4 Leveau +12.762s
5 Sorensen +18.239s
6 Kratsch +30.038s
7 Stena +30.458s
8 Mille Hoe +40.769s
9 Rytter +43.033s
10 Rasmussen +1 lap
FL: Jakobsen, 50.173s
Danish F4 standings
1 Mikkel Pedersen 216 2 Magnus Pedersen 197 3 Jakobsen 142 4 Victor Nielsen 113 5 Mads Hoe 92 6 Stena 74 7 Mille Hoe 72 8 Kratsch 68 9 Robinson 66 10 Theodor Jensen 37