Home Formula 4British F4 Ticktum holds off Norris and Collard to win third Croft race

Ticktum holds off Norris and Collard to win third Croft race

by Peter Allen
Dan Ticktum

Photo: Paul Davies Photography

Dan Ticktum claimed the spoils in the final MSA Formula race at Croft after race-long pressure from Lando Norris and Ricky Collard.

Ticktum had taken the chequered flag first in the opening race of the weekend but was later excluded for final-corner contact with Norris.

Norris started from pole again in the final race but Ticktum alongside him got the better launch to pull fully ahead before they got to the first corner.

Fortec’s Ticktum was pursed by Carlin racer Norris and Arden’s championship leader Collard from there onwards, with the trio running absolutely nose-to-tail for the most part.

Norris was unable to find a way past Ticktum however, and would lose out to his title rival Collard with three minutes remaining after a slow exit from the hairpin.

Ticktum had a half-second lead over Collard going onto the final lap and held on to score his third win of the season and his first since round two at Donington in April.

Norris finished a second behind the winner in third, and is now 21 points behind Collard with Ticktum a further 10 back.

Sennan Fielding passed the other Carlin cars of Colton Herta and Petru Florescu to take fourth.

The move on Herta was completed when the American ran wide onto the grass and dropped down to eighth, behind Louise Richardson and Matheus Leist. Later contact with Leist at the first corner sent Herta into a spin and down to 15th.

Sandy Mitchell, Tarun Reddy and Dan Baybutt completed the top 10.

After taking his maiden victory in race two, Josh Smith retired to the pits at the end of the first lap.

Race results
Pos Driver Team Time/Gap
1 Dan Ticktum Fortec Motorsports 15 laps in 20:53.770
2 Ricky Collard Arden 0.606
3 Lando Norris Carlin 1.075
4 Sennan Fielding JHR Developments 2.290
5 Petru Florescu Carlin 5.340
6 Louise Richardson Richardson Racing 5.849
7 Matheus Leist Double R Racing 7.755
8 Sandy Mitchell Arden 8.291
9 Tarun Reddy Double R Racing 8.999
10 Daniel Baybutt JTR 11.622
11 Rafa Martins SWB Motorsport 12.611
12 Enaam Ahmed Arden 13.861
13 James Pull JTR 14.226
14 Jessica Hawkins Falcon Motorsport 18.425
15 Colton Herta Carlin 18.934
16 Ollie Pidgeley Richardson Racing 25.659
17 Jack Butel SWB Motorsport 26.425
18 Ameya Vaidyanathan JTR 26.938
Not classified
Darius Karbaley Falcon Motorsport +8 laps
Josh Smith Fortec Motorsports +14 laps