FIESTA JUNIOR CHAMPION JOSEPH LOAKE MAKES SINGLE SEATER SWITCH WITH JHR DEVELOPMENTS
JHR Developments have confirmed that Fiesta Junior champion Joseph Loake will complete their line up for the 2021 F4 British Championship certified by FIA – powered by Ford EcoBoost season.
The 15-year-old makes the switch to single seaters in Britain’s FIA Formula 4 series following an impressive two-year stint in the BRSCC’s highly competitive tin-top category.
Following a run to the vice-champion spot in 2019, taking five wins and a further five trips to the podium in the process, Loake returned to seal an emphatic championship title last season, with a perfect run of eight victories from as many starts.
That, coupled with a successful background in karting, marked Loake out as ‘one to watch’ as he began testing with Derbyshire-based JHR, and represented Steven Hunter’s team in the recent iRacing Trophy.
He joins new team-mates Abbi Pulling, McKenzy Cresswell and Matthew Rees as JHR confirm a full capacity, four-car entry for the 2021 season ahead.
“We have come from a very strong 2020 where we won every race, so we are hoping to bring that momentum with us into this year, but we won’t know where we are until we get to round one,” said Loake.
“We’ll be doing lots of testing in the run up to the start of the season, so hopefully we can be up the front straight off the bat.
“I have driven the F4 car at Snetterton back in November, which was promising as we weren’t far off the times people did in qualifying earlier in the year.
“I found the car very comfortable, despite being very different to the Fiesta with downforce and a lower centre of gravity, so I just need to work on changing some habits I learnt last year, where you throw the car into the corners.”
JHR Team Principal Steven Hunter welcomed Loake to the fold and is excited to get out on track and prove what his outfit can achieve in the season ahead.
“We are really happy to welcome Joseph to the team for his first foray into single seaters,” said Hunter.
“His performances in the Fiesta Junior Championship were really impressive, going right back to his first handful of races when he was challenging for podiums and wins.
“We had two great days with him in the car at Snetterton towards the end of last year and we are excited to get him back behind the wheel as we start to focus on the start of the F4 season at Thruxton.
“We have an impressive line-up of drivers this year and really just want to get out there and show what we can do.”
The 2021 season begins at the high-speed Thruxton in Hampshire on the 8th-9th May, where JHR have a perfect record – six victories from the last six – in recent times.
