Team F4V Media Release –
| • Team F4V produces strong performance on final weekend of Elite Cup • Nathan Anthony ends opening day as top scoring Masters Cup runner • Mixed day two fortunes mean Team F4V ends Masters title battle third |
Knockhill Circuit in Scotland produced some excellent racing and results for Legends Cars Elite Cup driver Nathan Anthony over the weekend, 10th/11th August, with the Horley sportsman winning round five of the campaign in the Masters class and concluding the event third in the title battle. Saturday’s action was the highlight for the Team F4V racer, finishing seventh overall in Heat One of round five – round nine of the main Legends Cars Championship, which still has two race meetings to go this year – eighth overall in Heat Two and then 11th overall in the Final. In Elite Cup round six on Sunday, round 10 of the main Championship, a luckless excursion and retirement in Heat One proved costly but the First 4 Vans, Towergate Insurance, Blue Lizard, Blue Chip Warranty, Creative Funding Solutions, Moove and Mowermate-backed racer hit back with 11th overall in Heat Two. In the Final, a fantastic podium bid ended after an unfortunate spin. Nathan lined-up sixth on the grid for the first race and put together a superb opening to climb into third, before the action was red flagged due to an incident. Running fourth at the re-start, he regained third after passing Robert Barrable and although slipping to sixth a couple of laps later, the Se-Van racer returned to fifth on lap seven before ultimately having to settle for seventh at the flag. Starting Heat Two from 19th on the grid, Nathan gained five places before the Safety Car was deployed on lap two and at the resumption on lap four he was an elevated 12th due to a couple of drivers pitting. Taking two more places to break into the top 10, on lap nine he grabbed ninth and on the 11th and penultimate tour he claimed eighth to cap another superb performance. In the day one Final, as a result of his significant points scoring in Heats One and Two, the Horley racer lined-up 18th on the grid – the highest scorers starting further down the order – and he aced the first lap to gain six positions. Moving up into the top 10 before the Safety Car was deployed, when racing resumed on lap five Nathan climbed into ninth and although pushed back a few places the next time around, he charged back into the top 10 before ending the race 12th. Overall for round five of the Elite Cup, round nine of the Championship, Nathan was delighted to be the highest Masters scorer. Sunday morning’s opening race held a lot of promise with Nathan starting 10th on the grid. Although losing a couple of places on lap one, the Se-Van climbed the order again before yo-yoing just outside the top 10. With just a couple of laps to run, though, an unfortunate excursion at the hairpin meant retirement in the gravel trap. Starting Heat Two from 15th on the grid, Nathan raced very well in front of the live TV cameras – the action beamed live on ITV4 as well as through ITVX – and there was nothing to separate him and Masters rival Nick Bridgeman throughout. Making good progress and pressuring for the top 10, Nathan finished the 10-lapper in 11th place just 0.7 seconds shy of his target. Sunday’s Final, the last race of the Elite Cup portion of the Legends Cars season, began with Nathan seventh on the grid and he again showcased Team F4V impressively on live TV. Leaping into fourth place on the first lap, he grabbed third the next time around and on lap three took second. Producing one of the best races of his career at that point, with an outright podium in the offing, a spin at the hairpin while running in fourth on lap four undid all of his hard work. Eventually able to get going, he battled back to finish 16th overall. Nathan Anthony: “We had some really good races this weekend, we had good pace and enjoyed some great battles out there with some decent results as well. Winning the Masters on Saturday was fantastic, we scored well, but the final race on Sunday was obviously a big disappointment. Everything was going so well and we were right in the mix for the overall podium. “To be fair, Knockhill has been a good weekend for the team and we’ve come away pretty happy with our performance. While the Elite Cup is over for another year, we’ve still got two big race meetings left in the Legends Cars Championship so we’ll be pushing hard for those in a few weeks.” Next on the schedule is the penultimate event of the overall Legends Cars Championship season with rounds 11 and 12 taking place at Snetterton in Norfolk over the weekend 7th/8th September. Legends Cars Elite Cup ‘Masters Cup’ Standings 3rd Nathan Anthony, 1105pts Legends Cars Elite Cup Overall Standings 13th Nathan Anthony, 1105pts Legends Cars Championship ‘Masters Cup’ Standings (after Rd10) 3rd Nathan Anthony, 1975pts Legends Cars Championship Overall Standings (after Rd10) 12th Nathan Anthony, 1975pts |
Photo credit: team supplied
