Tin top rookie Sam Smelt will join the British Formula 4 grid after impressing at testing.
Smelt finished sixth fastest over the two day official test, and will join Jacky Liu at Gary Ward’s GW Motorsport for the remainder of the season.
“I’ve known Gary since I started karting,” said Smelt. “He’s been wanting me to drive the British F4 car for a while so it’s great to make that happen and put this deal together.
“The fact that he has a team in British F4 was a key factor in me deciding to join the championship, along with how well the series is organised. The exposure you get from being on the TOCA package, with huge crowds and live television coverage is a big plus too.”
Smelt is still in his first year of car racing, but Ward believes points and podiums are possible for him in the second half of the F4 season.
“He absolutely loves driving the car,” he said. “After the initial test he did with us he took part in the official organised F4 British Championship test at Snetterton and really impressed again.
“He’s got a great future. I think he’s a dark horse. I would like to say let’s do this year and then next year let’s go for the championship because he’s more than capable. This year the aim is for strong point scores and even podiums.”
“I haven’t set myself any particular targets for the first few races,” said Smelt. “I hope to be up towards the front by the end of the season. I didn’t have any expectations before my first test days and I did really well. We’ve got good speed and now we just need to see how we do in the races.”
Smelt will make his F4 race debut at Snetterton at the end of July.
Feature image credit: Caroline Rhea
