THOMAS IKIN GRADUATES TO BRITISH F4 FOR 2021 WITH ARDEN MOTORSPORT

Arden Motorsport have announced Thomas Ikin will graduate to the F4 British Championship certified by FIA – powered by Ford EcoBoost for the 2021 season.

The 17-year-old from Wirral, UK makes the switch to Britain’s FIA Formula 4 series from karting after extensive preparation with the Arden-affiliated Young Racing Driver Academy (YRDA).

His past experience means he will also be eligible to compete for Rookie Cup honours, with Ikin’s sights set firmly on silverware in his first season of single seater racing.

He will partner the already-announced Zak Taylor at the Banbury team, with further announcements set to follow in due course.

Ikin’s graduation to British F4 means he will share in the spotlight on the high-profile British Touring Car Championship, which benefits from capacity trackside crowds in normal times, as well as live, free-to-air television coverage on ITV4.

After a busy winter of testing, Ikin’s first competitive action will be the 2021 season opener at Brands Hatch (Indy), Kent on 03-04 April.

“I am very pleased to be racing with Arden in British F4 for the 2021 season,” said Ikin.

“After 18 months of working with YRDA, it is a great feeling to finally be able to put into practice all of my training, both in and out of the simulator, with Steve Hutchinson and Chris Ray and progress into the Formula 4 team.

“I’ve really enjoyed working with the team so far over the tests I’ve completed,” he continued.

“They have helped me learn and progress a lot, and I feel very much at home here. I’m looking forward to seeing what we can achieve together next year.”

Arden’s Team Principal Garry Horner was pleased to secure Ikin’s services for 2021 and is looking forward to following his progress.

“We are delighted that Thomas will be joining Arden’s F4 team for the 2021 Championship and look forward to seeing him put in some strong rookie performances,” said Horner.

“It is good to see another driver graduating into single seaters from our Young Racing Driver Academy.”