Rookie Cup star Maloney takes overall British F4 win at Thruxton

Photo: Jakob Ebrey Photography

Zane Maloney controlled the reversed grid race at Thruxton to become the first rookie cup driver to win a British Formula 4 race this season.

The Carlin driver made a strong start from the second row of the grid to move up to second on the opening lap, before a move around the outside of Arden’s Bart Horsten put him in the race lead the next time round.

From that point on, Maloney was unchallenged – putting in fastest laps to extend a lead of more than six seconds. In the closing stages of the race, he began to slow, but still finished more than four seconds ahead of the battle for second place.

Horsten had come under pressure behind from Richardson Racing’s Luke Browning. He defended well, and Browning fell back as he lined up another move. As he did so, Horsten’s team-mate Tommy Foster closed onto the back of Browning, and, when the latter locked up, had nowhere else to go.

Foster ran over the back of Browning?s car, severely damaging Browning?s rear wing and his own front wing. Browning continued to battle for a number of laps before being given the black and orange flag and being forced into the pits.

Horsten was next under attack from reversed grid poleman Sebastian Alvarez. After shaking off championship leading Double R Racing team-mate Louis Foster, he found a way past Horsten in the closing stages of the race to finish second.

Horsten took third, ahead of Louis Foster, who held off attacks from JHR Developments’ Josh Skelton in fifth.

Fortec Motorsports driver Roberto Faria took sixth, ahead of Alex Connor, Mariano Martinez, and Joe Turney, who span from second in the closing laps. Carter Williams rounded out the points.

Race results (17 laps)