Brandon McCaughan produced a superb performance to score a maiden race victory and a third-place finish during a dream debut in the GB4 Championship at Oulton Park this past weekend (30 March-01 April).
Following two successful seasons in the BRSCC National Formula Ford Championship, McCaughan has made the step up to ‘slicks and wings’ single-seater competition for the first time this year after winning the hotly-contested GB4 Shootout.
Linking up with the reigning champions KMR Sport, the 20-year-old rising star was straight on the leading pace at Oulton Park. Finishing official pre-event testing in the top three overall, there was more to come in qualifying the next day.
Putting in blistering lap times throughout the 15-minute session, McCaughan emerged with the fastest lap time of all as he secured a sensational double pole position – a fantastic achievement against a number of drivers with plenty more track time in GB4 machinery.
The talented Northern Irishman headed into the opening race with only one practice race start under his belt and that sadly cost him as he slipped back to fourth off the line. He immediately composed himself though and set about chasing down the cars ahead.
Closing onto their tail, he took advantage of contact between them to grab third position on the road. From there, he produced a faultless drive to take the chequered flag and celebrate a podium finish in his maiden GB4 race.
The sunshine on Saturday changed to heavy rain on Monday, with McCaughan continuing to excel in the treacherous conditions. Storming away from pole in race two, the Ballymena-based racer immediately stamped his authority at the front of the field.
Building a lead of over two seconds within the first handful of laps, he kept edging clear as the race developed and a fast, consistent and immaculate performance netted him a sensational first GB4 victory at the head of a one-two result for the KMR Sport team.
McCaughan faced a tough task in the third and final race though, with a full reverse grid putting him back in 14th. He immediately gained places off the start, but a few corners later a wide moment through Island bend resulted in him getting stuck in the sodden grass, ending his race on the spot.
Brandon McCaughan: “I’m very happy with my debut weekend in the GB4 Championship. To be getting a double pole position and winning a race with about five hours of slicks and wings seat time in total shows that I have the talent to be on this grid.
“It was an unreal feeling to take the race win. The amount of hard work, sacrifice and sleepless nights that it’s taken to get us on the grid, for it to be rewarded so early on is amazing. A huge thank you must go to my family, sponsors, KMR Sport and GB4 for the opportunity.
“We showed great speed in both the wet and the dry, and I know with more seat time that I’m only going to get faster, so I’m excited to develop more at Silverstone next. I’m confident that with some more sponsorship behind me, I can go and challenge for the championship title this year.”
Image from Jakob Ebrey Photography.
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